The Demons of Our Past
by The Dwelling Darkness
Summary: Police!AU A drop in crime rates is a blessing for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. However, Homicide and Narcotics are teamed up for a bizarre interdepartmental operation to investigate something that doesn't exist. And with Aomine as his partner, Kagami has to deal with more than his hormones. The past won't stay buried for long, and the Kiseki Syndicate will be reborn.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1: Calm

**AU where Kagami moved to America for his high school life rather than his middle school life. Miracles went to Teiko, and then different high schools, but never met Kagami in middle or high school. Past plays a big role in this story.**

 **Names of high schools (Seirin, Touou, Shuutoku etc.) have been made into place/district names and will be introduced in chapters.**

 **This is gonna be a long one, given by the length of the first chapter, so buckle up and I hope you enjoy the ride!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _Clack._

The wooden piece made a satisfying sound as it hit the hollow board beneath. A gentle breeze stirred the paper lantern hanging from the open door, fluttering its coloured arms in a wayward dance. The air was pleasantly cool and the sun shed golden warmth against the straw mat where they sat.

 _Clack._

"That was quick move. Are you sure you thought that one out?"

Mismatched eyes met an equable green gaze.

"Are you really asking me that question, Shintarou?"

"What if I wasn't talking about our game?"

His opponent stiffened slightly, hardly anything, but it was enough to put the man on edge. Something definitely wasn't right. It was never _truly_ right, but this time, he could feel it in the air. He could feel it in the other's gaze.

Something was off.

"It's just…I think you are acting more rashly than usual. You usually think things out so well."

His opponent's posture relaxed, and he leaned back. "Look at the board. What do you see?"

The emerald-eyed man looked down at the shogi board, his fast mind tracking all possible moves. He could see it fairly clearly. All combinations led to one thing – his defeat.

He should've known. He had never beaten this man, and it didn't seem as though that was changing anytime soon.

 _Clack_.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Sometimes I wonder…if the moves I make are my own. I feel as though I, your opponent, am another piece on some bigger board. My own will is merely an illusion."

"You are catching on, Midorima Shintarou," the other man smiled softly, but it never reached his eyes. "Should I just say _checkmate_ and be done with it? I am a bit busy. There are things I have planned."

"Your _plans_ are going to destroy Tokyo, Akashi," Midorima gritted out, and the pieces clattered as his hands hit the table. "Destroy everything, and you know she wouldn't be proud of you-"

"Silence," Akashi's eyes flashed, and Midorima felt his stomach clench. "Remember your place. You are the kindling, and the spark is about to arrive. Destroy Tokyo? That's the point," Akashi said matter-of-factly while rearranging his pieces. "Tokyo will burn, and a new, reformed city will rise from the ashes." He turned his face to the window. "Now leave. I will call for you when I need you."

Hands fisted at his side and nails digging into flesh, Midorima stalked out of the room with his heart hammering in his chest. Akashi mumbled behind him, eyes staring at something only his coloured gaze could see. Midorima's mouth went dry at the words.

" _Tokyo will burn_. _And everything will burn with it._ "

* * *

 **Chapter One: Calm**

 _Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring._

The covers shuffled as a head of red hair slowly peeked out from under them, and an arm snaked to shut the incessant noise coming from the phone by instinctively switching it to silent. Crimson eyes blinked blearily at the time, squinting against the morning light that shone through the open blinds.

Nine-thirty.

The redhead groaned. Why were the blinds open in the first place? He always closed them before going to bed. It was so _cold_. And uncomfortable. The pounding pain in his head wasn't helping. He shivered, rolling over and pressing his face into something soft. It smelt like something nostalgic, comforting, but he was too tired to think. He relaxed when an arm draped over him and pulled him closer into the warmth.

He stayed like that for a few blissful seconds, slowly slipping back into sleep, when his brain caught up with his thoughts.

An arm.

Not his.

He screamed, instinctively rolling and reaching for the firearm that was always kept under his pillow. Except it wasn't there, and the second he moved, agony lanced through his head and he stumbled, falling on his bare ass onto the carpeted floor.

His bare ass.

He was naked.

As he tried to get his breathing under control, the other life form in the bed began moving. The man bit his tongue as the pile of sheets rose and slowly fell away to reveal tanned skin and a head of midnight blue hair. He only knew one man who looked like that.

"A-Aomine?!" his voice came out a lot higher pitched than he would've liked to admit. He felt light-headed, blood rushing to his face and hands gripping the carpet under him.

The man named Aomine groaned, running a hand through his hair and down his face. "Fucking neighbours screaming…it must be like fucking five in the morning…" he muttered seemingly to himself as he looked over. He froze. The two stared at each other, definitely not missing their states of undress.

"Kagami…" he rasped. "W-why are you naked…? In my apartment?"

Kagami belatedly realised his eyes had been travelling southward, over Aomine's very nicely sculpted abs and down…when Aomine spoke. He snapped them up to meet the confused blue gaze. "I don't fucking know!" he choked out. "And this is my apartment, dumbass!"

Aomine slowly looked around him. "Oh yeah." Then he looked back and shamelessly stared at Kagami's crotch. Kagami's face coloured like his hair when he realised Aomine was holding back a smile of appreciation, and still very much looking… _there_.

He got to his feet and turned around, snatching up bits of clothing here and there. It didn't _feel_ like they had done anything, and there weren't any…liquids on the sheets or on his body. No random condom or lube packets either so he thanked his lucky stars that his fiercely guarded purity hadn't been breached. Especially by Aomine fucking Daiki.

So why was he feeling disappointed?

Kagami shook his head and stalked to the bathroom, deciding he needed to clean himself up thoroughly. Maybe down a few aspirins. He was definitely hungover, and the migraine was stopping him from sorting out this mess. He could deal with it later. Hopefully the bastard would be gone by the time he was out and they could forget this had happened.

"Hey, what's that scar on your ass?"

Kagami squeaked and slammed the door shut behind the laughing idiot. He cranked the shower to let a stream of hot water wash over him, and tried not to think of the man that was in his bed.

Yeah, like that was gonna work.

Kagami sighed, letting the water cascade over his hair. _How did this even happen?_

* * *

 _ **20 hours earlier…**_

A pair of muddied shoes walked up the small stones steps that lead to a small apartment on the outskirts of Tokyo. The man walking in them sighed, rolling his shoulders as he rang the bell. There was a shuffling sound, and a short man in his mid-forties opened the door, bags under his eyes and salt-and-pepper hair in disarray.

"What do you want?"

The visitor parted his coat to flash his badge. "Detective Kagami Taiga, Homicide. I'm here to ask you a few questions about the death of your secretary."

The man's eyes widened and he stepped inside and behind the door. "Y-yes, of course. She was such a sweet girl. Please come in."

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss-" Kagami made to step inside, head down as he wiped his boots on the mat, but carefully honed instincts had him see a flash in the corner of his eye. He ducked just as a ceramic vase clipped the side of his head, sending pain shooting down his spine. He collapsed to his knees as the perpetrator kicked him in the stomach.

"I loved her, but she said she would never love me back! She said she had someone else! If I couldn't have her, no one could!" he screamed and ran out of the door.

Kagami groaned against the pain, staggering to his feet and moving forward just as the running culprit in front of him tripped and fell face-first into the mud. The clicking sound of handcuffs seemed brittle in the morning air. His eyes flitted to the blue-haired man responsible for the arrest.

"You have the right to remain silent…yada yada, charged for murder and assaulting an officer of the law…Kagami-kun, I can't lift this piece of trash by myself," his partner sighed, then glanced over at him. "Are you ok?" he asked when he saw the blood on Kagami's head.

Kagami grimaced as he brought a hand to his temple and it came off red. "Just nicked me. Good job though, Kuroko. Your invisibility really helps to catch these running bastards."

"It's not invisibility, it's just a lack of presence," Kuroko explained as the two of them hauled the man into their car. "You're just so bright, Kagami-kun, that next to you nobody notices me. I like it that way," he added with a small smile. "I'll drive. That injury looks nasty, let's take you to the hospital."

"You crazy, Kuroko? We got a murderer in the back." Kagami buckled himself into the passenger seat. "It's not as bad as it looks. Let's go to the station first."

Kuroko shrugged, and started up the engine. He had gotten a call from their chief when Kagami had left the car. The surprise waiting for them at the stationhouse…he wasn't sure if his partner would take it the good way, or the bad.

* * *

"Another case closed, huh? Good job, Kagami! You're doing great for a rookie. Kuroko too."

"Thanks, Hyuuga-senpai," Kagami muttered, pressing the icepack to his head. The cut was a small one, but he could feel a bump forming. That was the first case he had solved the entire month. It wasn't that he couldn't close cases – he was well-known for being extremely efficient – but crime rates were at an all-time low. Not that Tokyo was like New York crime-wise, and he was also glad people weren't being killed. Most of the crimes had been crimes of passion or committed by amateurs. No gang activity, no organised crime. But it wasn't just murder. Drug and weapons smuggling, blackmail, cybercrime, everything seemed to have dropped. It was a strange feeling, this tranquillity. Kagami didn't know whether he should relax or be more vigilant.

Speaking of drugs smuggling, he wondered how _that guy_ was doing. They hadn't met up in some time, and _that guy_ hadn't contacted him much. Not that he cared, _that guy_ was a pain in the ass.

The sound of heels clicking against wood brought his attention to the woman in a dress suit and short brown hair that had come to stand in front of all of them. Their chief, Superintendent Aida Riko. Kuroko had informed her of the arrest, and she glanced at Kagami's icepack before sending him a nod. She seemed uneasy.

"Well, team…I've already informed a few of you of the changes that will be happening in the next few days. I hope you all cooperate and behave well in regards to this joint operation."

A few murmurs rippled across the room and Kagami's eyes widened. A joint operation?

"With Narcotics," a voice whispered in his ear, nearly sending Kagami through the roof.

"Damn it, Kuroko, don't do that…wait, did you say Narcotics?" the redhead shook his head in horror. He could feel his heart climb into his throat. Narcotics. Those bastards and their drug busts and their undercover cops and that damn detective who always got on his nerves. That damn detective who made him feel so _flustered_ , so easily. "No, no, no, no, no. Not Narcotics. Anything but Narcotics. That bastard is in Narcotics!"

"Who're you calling a bastard, Bakagami?"

Kagami swallowed as the familiarly husky voice slid down his spine. Occupied with complaining to Kuroko, he had missed his chief introducing the Narcotics team that would be joining them. Now, a few familiar faces congregated around Riko, staring at him.

That damn bastard was smiling.

"Enough, you two," Riko snapped before Kagami could open his mouth. "Have your lovers' quarrel some other time. What I'm about to tell you is extremely important," she ignored Kagami's spluttering and Aomine's indignant huff. "The reason we are having this joint operation is because Narcotics and Homicide are Tokyo's most successful divisions, and one team from each division is to undertake this operation. Homicide from the Seirin district, and Narcotics from the Touou district. This also gives us jurisdiction over the entire Tokyo area to conduct our investigation, as this operation is separate from regular duties. It is _very_ important, and although it's going to seem like a waste of time to some of you, it is definitely part of your job to do as you are told. Understood?"

No one dared to not nod their heads at her authoritative tone.

"Yes, I know this is a big thing to drop on you all on a Friday afternoon, but now Imayoshi-san is going to explain why we are doing this in the first place," she stepped aside to let a bespectacled man take her place. He was smiling, but it gave Kagami the shivers.

"Thank you. And thank you, Seirin, for your cooperation," his voice was slightly nasally and very even. Kagami could imagine this man telling a drug dealer he was going to jail for the rest of his life like he was talking about the weather. "The reason this operation is happening is because the criminal world is too quiet. Organised crime has dropped significantly, and our confidential informants and undercover cops have gone silent. Now, I know you're probably thinking that if it's quiet, why should we investigate? We have our reasons. And although the investigations may move slowly, the results will prove to be surprising and hopefully useful. Narcotics is so lazy at the moment I think they believe they are on holiday," his eyes flashed with a flicker of irritation. "So, it will be good to exercise these muscles again, and learn some team work while we are at it. Improve interdivision relationships and the like."

"Of course, you will all be changing partners," Riko interjected. She began listing off names, and Kagami stiffened when she arrived at his. "Kagami, Aomine…"

"But Kuroko is my partner!" he blurted. Aomine snorted.

Riko sent him an unamused glare. "Kuroko, Sakurai. Sorry, Kagami-kun, but these are orders."

"Ah, but that's pretty bad, right?" a man with almond shaped eyes and straight black hair piped up. "They're already partners, so they can't be partners. Otherwise they'll have to break up being partners."

"Izuki's right," the man who at beside him added. "Since they're boyfriends, how can they be partners at work? Isn't that against the rules?"

"Izuki-senpai, Koga-senpai, please stop saying such things!" Kagami could feel his cheeks heating up, and his stomach roiling.

"Oh, is that why you don't want to be partners with me, _baby_?" Aomine leered, his dark eyes twinkling in delight. "Because you have the hots for me, and you wanna jump me?"

"Don't think so highly of yourself, Ahomine," Kagami snarled.

Riko clapped her hands. "They never disclosed their relationship, so of course they aren't in one. They were partnered up because we believe they would work well together. Probably," she tacked on with a twitch of her lips. "Anyway, go spend time with your partners. Get to know each other. You've got the rest of the day off unless you have open cases, or are notified otherwise." With that, she and Imayoshi walked back to her office and closed the door behind them.

All team members exchanged glances.

A gruff faced blond crossed his arms. "We've seen the way you guys look at each other. You're obsessed with each other since our Academy days. If you aren't banging, you obviously _want_ to."

Even Aomine had the decency to look slightly embarrassed at that statement. "Wakamatsu, watch your tongue, you bastard." He looked down when Kuroko tugged at his sleeve.

"Why don't I know about this? If you dare hurt Kagami-kun, I'll shoot both your knees."

"I kind of need those to play basketball, Tetsu," Aomine rubbed the back of his head. "You guys are getting so fired up."

"We aren't in a relationship!" Kagami yelled, jumping to his feet. The throbbing in his head returned and he swayed off-balance. Thankfully, he fell against a convenient wall of muscle and he looked up into a pair of worried navy eyes.

Wakamatsu rolled his eyes. "Please keep PDA to a minimum in the workplace."

Aomine pushed Kagami off and mumbled under his breath, but Kagami was still shocked at the expression Aomine had shown. There was no way the other had been worried about him. Right? Right. Kagami lowered himself into his chair, watching Aomine warily.

The two weren't even friends really. They had met in the police academy, along with Kuroko and a few of the division members, although Kuroko and Aomine had apparently attended the same middle school. Kagami realised they shared the same love of basketball, and they were both perfect rivals. Aomine was an arrogant bastard, but that's what made it fun. Things happened, they sort of bonded, but that was it. They got together sometimes for one-on-ones, Kagami had reluctantly cooked for him occasionally, but they hadn't seen each other for months.

No thanks to Aomine brushing off his texts with a "Too busy. Txt later." What "busy"? Imayoshi had clearly said they weren't on any serious assignments. The bastard was probably just ignoring him.

Not…not that Kagami _cared_ if he was being ignored. He had better things to do than follow Aomine like a puppy.

Puppies were evil.

And his teasing teammates didn't help. Kagami had no idea where the rumours of their non-existent relationship had started. So what if he enjoyed playing sports with the guy, or maybe respected him? He was 100% asshole. A handsome, sexy asshole but an asshole nonetheless. And Kagami didn't have time for romance. Food, basketball and his job were all he needed.

Okay, so maybe there had been some time where Kagami may have thought he might have possibly maybe developed a crush on the jackass. But that had been years ago, and Kagami knew that although Aomine could get touchy-feely, there was nothing deeper there. He didn't even know if Aomine swung that way. The guy seemed to love staring at big breasted women, much to Kagami's chagrin. No decency. The idiot.

"Done checking me out?" Aomine scoffed, but his voice sounded strangely tired. Kagami was about to ask him if he was feeling okay, but Aomine's words finally processed.

Kagami picked up the icepack and shouldered his way past. "I'm leaving."

He needed a drink, and knew exactly where to get it.

And only a shadow saw the forlorn look in Aomine's eyes, the surreptitious glance at his mobile before he left the precinct as well.

* * *

Riko closed the door to her office and motioned for Imayoshi to sit down. The shutters were drawn for their private chat. "So, I honestly don't know if this collaboration idea of yours is very smart or very stupid."

Imayoshi leaned back. "It's true, if we don't work well together, it'll go quite badly. But now we have access to each other's data and casefiles, and we can combine our expertise. If what we fear is true, we'll find out sooner or later."

Riko stared at him straight in his squinty eyes, something very few people could do. "I hope for once that this is just a wild goose chase, and that our fears are just speculation. It'll be nice to have a quiet world where nothing happens."

"You and I both know the world will never be that way. And where's the fun in that anyway?" the man sighed. "It was actually Aomine's idea."

" _What?_ "

"Joint operation. He brought it up in conversation one day, and the idea stuck," Imayoshi shrugged. "I was surprised to say the least. Aomine was never a team player. That's one of the reasons he was sent to Narco. Wasn't too happy being separated from his Homicide buddies," he grinned dryly. "Maybe that's why he proposed the partnership. Should I be worried about Kagami's behaviour?"

Riko was taken aback by the news. "Aomine did? Strange." She parted the blinds slightly and peered out. "The team just teases Kagami because he gets riled up easily. He's a good kid. Shouldn't be a problem. It's Aomine I'm worried about."

Imayoshi frowned slightly. "It's unlike me to say this but…I am too. He's been a bit distracted lately."

"Something wrong?"

Imayoshi shrugged. "If it is, we'll just have to find out the hard way."

* * *

"That bastard…" Kagami slammed a fist against the counter while he downed another glass. "He's such a bastard. He's the fucking king of bastards."

"Mm-hmm," the man in front of him hummed noncommittally, skilfully pouring out a cocktail before handing it to one of the amused patrons. "How many does that make, Taiga?"

Kagami glanced at his glass. "Dunno, but its empty, and I want it full. Tatsuya?"

"Yes?" the bartender – Himuro Tatsuya – sighed.

"Why is it empty?"

He silently filled it with diluted vodka. Kagami needed to vent and relax, and although Himuro knew his friend couldn't handle alcohol very well, it kept him somewhat sedated until he could just fall asleep and Himuro could call a taxi and send him back to his apartment only a few blocks away.

"That guy…I don't understand him. It's like hot and cold with him. He doesn't meet up with me for months, and now suddenly we're partners? When I saw him again, it really hit me, Tatsuya. How much I had missed him. Playing with him. When we play basketball, it's like the whole world is filled with such bright colours," Kagami leaned against the counter, a dreamy look in his glazed eyes. "But he's such an asshole. I don't even know what he thinks of me. Am I just a waste of time for him? A game?"

"I doubt he has enough spare time to waste. I'm sure he spends time with you because he enjoys your company," Himuro shrugged, smiling softly at Kagami's almost _lovesick_ whining.

"We're _partners_ now. Not sex partners, work partners. Don't mix the two Tatsuuuuya," Kagami drawled with a strong shake of his head. "Also, never put sex and Aomine in the same sentence. That's a crime, I know it."

"I never said anything like that, Taiga."

Kagami ignored his friend. "I swear Chief just thinks this is some fucking game. I have to spend so much time with that fucking asshole," Kagami chugged the drink, then coughed, before asking for another. "And he's so distracting. Everyone keeps teasing me, but I can't help it. Nobody asked him to be so hot and sexy. And why does he have to wear those tight jackets all the time? Like please. And his husky voice should be illegal. I can't handle being around him."

"Maybe your work will be like basketball. You'll be so focused you'll forget about your crush."

"I'm not crushing!"

Himuro opened his mouth to dispute, but paused. His eyes flitted to the side as another man heavily sat down beside Kagami.

"Fuck, give me the strongest thing you have." The voice was deep, and slurred. This guy must've gone bar hopping. He had dark blue hair that fell over a tanned face, cheeks slightly flushed because of his intoxication. "I need to forget about today, and the past few days, because _fuck_ is this shit tiring. I want to stop _thinking_."

Himuro gave him diluted vodka too, but Kagami, thinking it was for him, reached out the same time the new guy did. Their hands touched and they looked up at each other.

Kagami's jaw dropped. "Aomine?"

"Fuck, why you of all people?" Aomine groaned.

"Excuse me, but that should be my line!" Kagami spat.

"Whatever," the taller man sighed, and kept drinking. Kagami was surprised at the lack of fight, so he shrugged and continued drinking too.

"So you're Aomine? Taiga's talked about you a lot," Himuro smirked. Kagami shot him a glare but Aomine raised a brow.

"Taiga? You know Kagami?"

Kagami supressed the irrational shiver he felt at Aomine saying his first name. "He's a childhood friend. I live close by so I drop by here often."

"That reminds me, Taiga," Himuro leaned towards him. "I've gotten a new offer for a job. This _giant_ of a man came over one day and ordered drinks just for the complementary snacks," he snorted, "But he said that my bartending was good and he was looking to hire for the opening of his new club." Himuro grinned. "It's apparently VIPs only, so you might need your badge to get in."

Kagami was about to reply when he felt a hand at the back of his collar, jerking him backwards. Aomine stared daggers at Himuro, although the effect was weakened by his glassy eyes and flushed cheeks.

"You're too close," he growled at Himuro. The bartender raised his eyebrows, a smile twitching his lips. He knew exactly what was going on. These two dunderheads were as thick as they got.

Kagami slapped his hand away. "Don't talk to my brother like that!"

"Brother? You mean your boyfriend, right?"

Kagami's nose scrunched up. "Fuck off! It's nothing like that!"

"Oh yeah? Then prove it."

"Fucking how?"

Aomine tilted his head, lips pulling into a smirk and eyes darkening. "Kiss me."

Himuro stopped wiping the glass his was holding, and nearly dropped it when a blushing Kagami leaned forward to accept the challenge. "Okay, boys!" he yelled, stopping the both of them in their tracks. "We don't want any shows in the bar. Take it outside. Or to your apartment. Please."

Aomine seemed to have realised what he had said, and he looked down at his feet. "I live far from here. It's gonna cost me so much money, and I spent it all on booze."

Kagami was still blushing, whether from the alcohol or Aomine's earlier words, Himuro wasn't sure. "I'll pay for your taxi and you can owe me."

Aomine scowled but begrudgingly agreed and the two of them stumbled out, supporting each other by the shoulders. Himuro just rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Ah, fuck, I only have enough until my apartment," Kagami muttered as he paid the driver. Aomine grumbled until Kagami continued: "Guess you can crash at my place until tomorrow morning."

"For serious?" Aomine grinned, but he was already halfway up the stairs. Kagami sighed and followed. He was still drunk, he could feel it, and so was Aomine. He didn't want the bastard to walk home and get run over or something.

As they reached his front door, Kagami fumbled with the keys and stumbled inside, flicking on the lights. He turned to face Aomine as he closed the door behind him. "Tatsuya and I aren't like that."

"Huh?" Aomine blinked at him, those stunning blue eyes slightly unfocused. Kagami's drunk brain felt slightly empowered. Aomine was in _his_ house. Which meant Kagami could do anything he wanted, right? Right. Yeah.

"You're the one who asked, remember." Kagami stepped forward, grabbing Aomine's shoulders. Before his brain had a chance to see reason, he kissed him. It was wet and sloppy, a drunk kiss, but Aomine didn't hesitate. He grabbed Kagami's waist and slammed him against the wall, deepening the kiss and adding tongue. Kagami moaned into his mouth, hands fisting in his hair. He'd always wanted to know how Aomine tasted like. Vodka and spirits. He felt like he could get drunk just off Aomine. He started rutting against him, and Aomine's hands snaked under his jacket and shirt to scrape his nails down Kagami's back. Kagami's head was hurting really badly, but kissing Aomine felt so good. Kagami gasped.

"Bedroom," Aomine mumbled against him, nipping his lips and moving down to suck on his neck. Kagami staggered to his room, Aomine following with his hands in Kagami's shirt. The two of them fell onto the bed, removing clothes and shoes and socks and underwear while they kissed. Something sharp jabbed into Kagami's stomach. His extra firearm. He absently tossed it to the floor and re-joined his lips with Aomine's. Kagami had never gone all the way with someone, despite being in his mid-twenties. His parents had always been old-fashioned, and he'd wanted it to be special and with someone special. He'd gotten close, but never all the way.

Losing his virginity by drunk sex with drunk Aomine? Didn't get better than that.

However, as soon as the two were naked, they realised just how soft the sheets were, how comfy the mattress was. And just how tired they were. Kagami groaned in pleasure as his head rested against the pillow, lips sore from fervent kissing. "Hey, Aomine, let's have sex tomorrow. I just wanna sleep."

Aomine murmured acceptance, draping an arm over Kagami's torso and nibbling at his shoulder. "Yeah, let's so that. Sleep then sex. Good plan…" he hummed, and soft breathing followed suit. Kagami smiled to himself, feeling slumber creep over him. As he peered at Aomine's peaceful and beautiful sleeping form beside him, a small flare of panic sparked in his stomach just before he dozed off.

He liked Aomine Daiki.

 _Aomine_ fucking _Daiki_.

He was _so fucked_.

* * *

 **This is the first time I'm attempting a serious story. There will be humor, of course, but the plot is meant to be heavy. Chapters will be long, so look forward to those! Gentle constructive criticism is welcome with open arms. I write because I love it, and if you can help me improve, I'll be very grateful. I'm definitely going to have Chapter 2 up by Kagami's birthday, if not earlier (cuz uni is a bitch).**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Harbinger

**Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAGAMI BABY. I'm glad this chapter finished on time!**

 **Secondly, happy AoKaga month everyone! May your days be filled with AoKaga glory.**

 **Warning: Gun use. No one gets hurt. There will be more gun use in this story, since it _is_ police, but I'll inform you in a note at the beginning when there is any violence. There will be nothing gory or detailed, however. Only for plot.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Harbinger**

Aomine couldn't believe what he had done. He wanted to regret kissing, _tasting_ , Kagami like that, but he couldn't. He couldn't forget that deliciously warm skin, those sinfully sweet moans, that same fire that burned in those scarlet eyes as when they played basketball. He wanted to see it again, directed at him, clouded with lust. He wanted to hear his name slip past those plump pink lips as the redhead rutted against him. He'd wanted it for so long.

It couldn't happen again.

He _knew_ the joint operation was a bad idea, but it hadn't actually been _his_ idea. And he wasn't expecting to be partnered up with Kagami, no matter how much he had secretly wanted it in the past.

Aomine stared at the closed door of the ensuite after Kagami had slammed it shut, feeling the headache of a hangover throbbing at his temples. His memory had returned to him choppy, but he remembered enough to know that after yesterday, working with Kagami was going to be _very_ awkward.

And difficult.

As if on cue, his phone began ringing. Aomine glanced at the screen, blanching when "No Caller ID" flashed on it. Wishing it wasn't _him_ , Aomine picked up.

No luck.

"Daiki." The voice on the other end was calm and collected, contrasting against Aomine's pounding heart.

"What" – his voice cracked – "What do you want now?"

"We need to talk. Eight at night. You know where to meet me."

"Can't you just tell me?" Aomine's mouth was dry.

"I won't repeat myself, Daiki. I'll see you there. And if I don't…well, Kagami Taiga is not a hard target."

Aomine's knuckles whitened as he clenched his phone tighter. "How did you- no, just…leave Kagami out of this. He has nothing to do with anything."

"You'd be surprised," he could hear the smile in the caller's voice. "But don't worry, I have good news for you. Look forward to it."

His mounting feeling of dread didn't lessen at those words. Aomine swallowed. "What do you mean?"

His only answer was the cold sound of the dial tone.

He scowled, phone clutched tightly. He stared at the blank screen like it would provide all the answers. _Maybe I should call Tetsu. No, Akashi would find out. How the fuck did he know I was at Kagami's in the first place? Probably bugged my phone back in middle school for all I know._

 _That man is a monster._

He only realised he'd been sitting there, naked body wrapped in another's blankets and staring at his phone for quite some time when the bathroom door clicked open.

He turned around to see Kagami towelling his head, sparkling beads of water clinging to his long lashes and gathering at the tips of his spiky hair. Aomine sometimes forgot how beautiful Kagami was, when he wasn't shouting or frowning. Even those unique eyebrows had some charm to them. Only a look was needed to remind him - he had to distance himself. Nothing good could come out of it.

Well, he could think of a _lot_ of good things that could come out of it actually. Like kissing Kagami, licking Kagami, biting Kagami, fucki-

 _No,_ bad _Aomine._ Bad _boy. He's strictly out of bounds. You can't think of your partner like that._

 _But it's so hard._

His actions yesterday were a crack in his defences. He had staved off his feelings for Kagami for the past few years, and he would keep at it. But that redhead tasted like a drug. Something forbidden, but addictive. He wanted more when he knew he couldn't have it.

And finding out that Kagami wanted him the same way didn't help, if yesterday was anything to go by. People didn't kiss just anyone like the way Kagami had kissed him.

Kagami blinked at him, as though he had forgotten the other was there. "What are you still doing here?"

"So mean, Kagami. You're the one who invited me in," Aomine rolled his eyes, nonchalance masking his feelings. "My mouth feels disgusting. At least let me shower. And feed me breakfast. Maybe some scrambled eggs."

"My apartment isn't a motel, and I damn hell ain't your wife," Kagami griped, but didn't say anything when Aomine casually grabbed his underwear off the floor and sauntered into the bathroom, only staring pointedly _away_ from the very naked man. The bastard behaved liked he owned the place, but Kagami couldn't supress the feeling of happiness he felt when he saw Aomine acting so casually in his home. It seemed like routine, the way they were acting. Like they got up naked next to each other every day.

 _Wouldn't that be nice? Yeah, right._ _I'm acting like some love-struck girl_ , Kagami sighed to himself. He realised there was a blinking light coming from his phone and when he picked it up, he was surprised to see twelve missed calls from a _Kuroko Tetsuya_. He nearly slapped his forehead. _Of course_ he didn't have an alarm at nine-thirty on a Saturday. Kuroko had been trying to reach him.

Kuroko picked after one ring. "Kagami-kun, where are you?"

"Sorry, Kuroko," Kagami muttered as he walked into the kitchen and turned the coffee machine on. "I just woke up. Drank a bit last night, and slept like a log. What did you need?"

"You went out drinking?" Kuroko's voice held a tinge of disappointment and exasperation.

"Hey! I needed to relax a bit after yesterday's… _surprise_ ," he glanced at his bedroom. Some strange kind of "relaxing" he had done last night.

"Chief wants you in. She needs to give you an assignment, and she couldn't tell you herself because she's too busy organising the other members," Kuroko paused. "She's also very…unpleased at your delayed response."

"Shit," Kagami hissed, returning the eggs he had just taken out. "Looks like there's no time for a real breakfast. Thanks, Kuroko. See you." He jammed two slices of bread in the toaster and turned the TV on to quickly hear the morning headlines. Some reporter in a jacket that looked like it cost his month's salary was prattling about some hotshot A-list model-come-actor – named _Kisu_ or _Kise_ or something equally annoying – who was holding some fundraising gala for all the other rich folk. Kagami turned it off. He didn't need to know how the rich lived, he was plenty happy living his own life. He poured out the coffee just as Aomine walked through the door. He was shifting his pants a bit, frowning at them. "What's wrong?"

Aomine looked up, shrugging. He sat at the counter and grabbed one of the two mugs, smirking as Kagami placed a slice of toast and butter in front of him. "Thanks, baby. No scrambled eggs today?"

Kagami had half the mind to dump his coffee over the asshole's head, but he was too hungry. And although he didn't want to admit it, this semblance of domesticity was kind of comforting and a nice change from lonely mornings. Aomine hadn't mentioned anything about yesterday's debacle, so he wasn't going to either. "Chief wants me at the station stat," he said, adding more bread to toast.

"Guess I'll go too, since we're kinda partners now," Aomine said, sipping his coffee. He plucked another slice from the toaster and slathered butter on it.

Kagami's eyes narrowed. "That was meant for me," he mumbled.

"Should've known, you greedy hog," Aomine smiled and Kagami choked at the warmth in his expression, coughing heavily into the back of his hand to mask his embarrassment. "Don't choke on your own stupidity."

"I'm fine," Kagami wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, grabbing his keys and jacket before lacing up his shoes. He realised his pants felt a bit uncomfortable, but his headache stopped him from thinking too deeply about it.

Aomine followed him out, glancing at his head. "You sure you're okay to drive? My hangover's not that bad. We don't want to crash because of your deranged driving."

"I'm fine," Kagami repeated, but his head was definitely throbbing. His injury coupled with alcohol probably wasn't a good combination. Aomine glared at him in disbelief and Kagami scowled, reluctantly handing him the keys. "Okay, but just this once."

* * *

When Aomine slipped into the limited police parking, and they stepped out together to see Izuki walking out of the precinct, Kagami knew he was in trouble. Izuki took one look at them, nothing escaping his calculating eagle-like eyes, before the sneak slipped back inside. Kagami felt the blood leave his face as he hurried through the doors to see all conversations pause at the sight of them.

"When Chief said partners needed to _get to know each other_ , I don't think she meant it like that."

Kagami raised an eyebrow at Wakamatsu's comment. "I'm sorry?"

Izuki sniggered beside the blond. The two had been paired up for the investigation, and it seemed as though they had nothing better to do than tease him. "Well, Aomine drove you here in your car. And you're wearing each other's pants. Morning after much?"

Kagami audibly gasped, looking down at his pants, realising that they were in fact not his. They had looked like his when they were piled on the floor, and he'd been too tired to pay attention. He glanced back at Aomine who looked surprised as well. Both pants were black slacks, roughly the same size and quite alike. But nothing slipped Izuki's eagle-like vision.

"Guess we should go to the bathroom and take our pants off," Aomine offered and the whole room burst into giggles. Aomine felt a pricking sensation at the back of his neck and turned around to see a pair of pale blue eyes assessing him carefully. Kuroko sat in silence, observing the situation, but his gaze never left Aomine. He had a strange expression on his face, as though he was unsure of what to say. Aomine brushed it off.

"There's also a hickey on your neck," Wakamatsu pointed. Kagami instinctively slapped a hand to the spot and the two miscreants started snickering. "I was lying," Wakamatsu grinned. "But thanks for proving our point."

"If you have enough time to chatter, you have enough time to patrol Shinjuku," an icy voice made them freeze. "Out of my sight!"

The two bolted out faster than wanted criminals with a frail "Yes Chief!" as a goodbye.

Aida Riko stood before them, a smile on her face and death in her eyes. Kagami's headache instantly cleared. "You're late." She held up a hand before Kagami could make any excuses. Not that he was going to make any – what was he going to say, that he had been drinking and making out with his investigative partner?

 _Yeah, no._

She walked up to him, and although he was a few heads taller than her, she managed to tower over him. "I need you to meet up with your CI. Ask him why illegal drug sales have dropped. I know we're homicide, but this joint operation makes it easier for us to mix our information networks. I'm sure he knows something. Take your partner with you."

Kagami frowned. Confidential informants, also known as CIs, had slowly been dropping off the map all over the city. The last time he spoke to his CI was months ago. "I haven't been in touch for ages-"

"Just try," Riko spoke softly. Kagami nodded and began moving away, but Riko grabbed his shoulder. "And…for the duration of this investigation, a relationship between you and Aomine is prohibited. Jokes are just that. Jokes. Got it?"

Kagami swallowed thickly. "Of course!" He had never planned anything else.

Riko quirked her lips. "Wait until the joint investigation is over, huh? Keep it in your pants."

Kagami was burning with embarrassment as he walked up to Kuroko and lightly kicked his chair. "Let's go."

Kuroko turned his doe eyes to his friend. "Sorry, Kagami-kun, but I'm not your partner anymore. Aomine-kun stole you from me."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, idiot," Aomine drawled. Kagami sighed and barked at Aomine to get into the car, the lazy ass, cases didn't solve themselves, dumbass. He holstered his standard issue weapon and pocketed his badge before walking out.

Aomine buckled himself in the passenger seat. Kagami wouldn't let him drive. "What's gotten your knickers in a twist?"

"It's trousers in a twist, dumbass."

"I thought knickers suited you more."

Kagami was the better man. He wouldn't get mad. He wouldn't.

Kagami elbowed Aomine in the gut before starting the car.

* * *

Ikebukuro was a breathing beast: cars and people zipping through buildings like blood pumping through veins, horns and chatter thundering like a heartbeat. Kagami skilfully wove his way from backstreet to backstreet, eyes scanning for any sign of the small man. He knew how unlikely it was to find one person in this bustling area, but hopefully the guy would find _him_. His CI normally contacted him through a burner phone when he had information.

Almost as if on cue, his phone rang. He pulled over and answered. "Kagami."

"Kagami! Looking for me? You knew I wouldn't miss that beautiful black Toyota." the cheery voice filled the car. "Sorry for the radio silence, things have been a bit busy. Listen, we can actually meet right now. Regular place? Ah, but don't bring that hottie next to you. No cheating! Just us two, okay?"

Aomine raised an eyebrow but kept quiet.

"Yeah, you got it." Kagami hung up and unbuckled his seat belt.

"Oy," Aomine grabbed his arm. "Are you really going alone? I can tail you."

"He'll find out," Kagami shook his head. "I'll be fine. The guy's not dangerous."

Aomine frowned. "He doesn't need to be dangerous to set a trap."

"Stop worrying," Kagami got out. "And don't follow me or you'll blow the whole thing. I'll be back soon, the place isn't far from here." He folded his arms against the December cold and walked briskly to the usual meeting spot.

Deep in Ikebukuro, there was a mess of rundown apartment buildings with patched roofs and peeling wallpaper. The only way into the dying apartment complex was a narrow alleyway that opened up to a set of dumpsters and emergency fire escape stairs. Kagami slipped between the two buildings and looked up when he heard footsteps clattering.

There, calmly standing halfway up the stairs, was a relatively short man with piercing grey eyes and an insufferably annoying grin. "Miss me?"

"Takao," Kagami sighed, craning his neck. Takao Kazunari was a shoplifter Kagami had randomly run across one day when investigating a triple homicide a few years back. On more than one occasion, he proved to be a lot more useful running out on the streets than locked up in a cell. He'd gone quiet for the past few months, but seeing that familiar cheeky face brought relief to Kagami's heart. He was glad to know nothing ill had befallen the trickster. "Come on down."

Takao shook his head. "Sorry, Kagami. I wanted to tell you face-to-face, but this is our final meeting. I'm gonna have to break up with you," he grinned, but it seemed slightly forced. "Plus looks like you've got a new hunk to keep you company."

Kagami furrowed his brows. "You don't want to be a CI any longer?"

"Well, I knew it was dangerous being a CI in the first place – you know how the bad boys hate snitches," Takao shrugged. "But it's gotten a bit more dangerous now, and I've gotten…a new job. You be careful too Kagami," his voice dropped. "This is just the calm before the storm. Once the wind starts stirring things up, it's gonna get bad."

"You're speaking in riddles," Kagami frowned. "I understand if you don't want to endanger your life, but what storm?"

Takao opened his mouth, then paused. His eyes widened, directing their gaze to the building across the street. "Duck!" he yelled, disappearing from view.

Kagami's brain registered the command and his eyes widened at the implication. He rolled to the floor just as a bullet whizzed beside him, adrenalin pumping through his veins. Takao clambered up the fire stairs, vanishing into the building. Another bulled chipped the brick beside Kagami's head as he scrambled behind a dumpster, unholstering his gun. It had been a while since he had seen any real action. Peeking over the edge of the large bin, he couldn't see anyone. The shooter must've been on the rooftop of the opposite building, quite a distance away. He was about to call it in when he heard footsteps approaching. He held his breath, training his gun at the alley entrance. The footsteps got louder.

Kagami evened his breathing, steadying his aim. _Steady…_

Aomine walked into view, gun in hand and slightly panting.

…Aomine looked fucking _hot_ with a gun.

Kagami rammed his head against the dumpster with considerable force. Aomine jumped at the noise but relaxed when Kagami came into view. "Fuck! I almost shot you, Ahomine. And get to cover, dumbass, the shooter might still be here!"

"He's gone," Aomine muttered, holstering his firearm and jogging up to Kagami. "I saw someone get into a car and drive off. Must've been him. No license plate."

Kagami stood up, dusting his clothes. "You didn't follow them? In fact, you were following _me_ weren't you?" he said disapproving, although he was secretly glad Aomine hadn't listened to him.

"Partners stick together. I had to make sure you were okay first. They're probably long gone now. And don't worry, I called the station," he added. He moved to the bullet embedded in the brick. "Looks like a regular nine millimetre round."

"Makes sense if it was a handgun," Kagami came up to him. "From that distance, the guy had shitty aim."

Aomine frowned. "Unless…" Cocking his head to the side, he suddenly grabbed Kagami's arm and pulled him forwards.

"Hey!" Kagami protested as he got a face full of leather jacket _. Damn, Aomine smells good_ …shaking his head, he pulled back to complain but was silenced when he saw the tear in his jacket sleeve. The bullet had missed his elbow by an inch. "…fuck."

Aomine's teeth were gritted, and a flurry of emotion danced in his eyes. Kagami winced when Aomine's grip tightened until it almost hurt. "It wasn't shitty aim. It was perfect. He didn't mean to kill you, it was a warning shot," he said so quietly, Kagami wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear it. "Those bastards."

Kagami gently placed a hand on Aomine's. "Aomine, it's okay. I'm not hurt. It just grazed my jacket."

Aomine looked up at him, eyes searching for any hint of pain on his face. "Okay, good," he nodded absently. "Let's go back. Your CI say anything useful?"

Kagami shook his head, a little frazzled from the shooting but more moved by Aomine's concern. "I feel like I have more questions than answers. It's messed up."

"It sure is," Aomine replied, but it seemed as though he was talking about something else entirely.

* * *

Riko sat down heavily in her chair, mulling over the events the two detectives in front of her had relayed. The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds behind her, casting her in shadow. "Thank god you weren't hurt. Were they targeting you, or your informant?"

Kagami shrugged. "I was shot at, but my CI said that if he continued to talk with me his life would be in danger. Maybe he was originally targeted."

Aomine made a sound of protest, but when they looked at him he averted his gaze.

"Forensics came back," Kagami continued. "The weapon was a regular Beretta M9, unregistered of course. Seems like weapons smuggling isn't as sleepy as we thought it was."

Riko pursed her lips. "At least this is progress," she placed her hands on the table and looked up at them. "I want you to take out all cases that your CI has helped you with, and see if anyone has a vendetta against him. If we find the shooter, we find the weapon. If we find the weapon, we find a link to the supplier."

Kagami frowned. "I'm homicide and he's narcotics. We have nothing to do with weapons smuggling-"

"Kagami-kun," Riko gave him a tight smile. "This operation means those boundaries have been erased. The reason the higher-ups gave us permission to investigate the drop in rates of crime is because…"she trailed off, unsure of whether to continue. "Well, we have permission to use these resources and so we will. You're not only homicide anymore. This involves everyone," she closed her eyes. "We're doing this for Tokyo. Now get to work."

* * *

Aomine and Kagami sat opposite each other on their desks, computers powered up. Aomine was sitting in Kuroko's seat. Kuroko had gone with his new partner Sakurai, a fidgety brunette, to Fuchu Prison in order to question some of the inmates.

Kagami felt pity towards whoever would get interrogated by Kuroko. The shortie could _grill_.

"I'll go through the department databases and send you the files of cases my CI was involved in," Kagami said. "You can start going through them." Aomine grunted in acknowledgement and Kagami peeked past his monitor to look at him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Aomine blinked up at him, jolted out of his thoughts, before leering. "Worried about me, Bakagami?"

"Shouldn't have asked," Kagami grumbled. They went at it until it was approaching evening and Kagami decided he needed some coffee, making his way into the shared kitchen. As he turned the kettle on, his ears picked up some scuffling and chatter at the main entrance. A few doors were banged and there was some shouting, so Kagami walked out to investigate.

A large man with a mop of brown hair towered above everyone else, a gentle smile lighting up his features. Riko stood in front of him, yelling at how he was supposed to be at home recuperating from his injury.

"The last think you should be doing is arresting criminals, you idiot!" she screamed, flapping her arms.

"There, there," he raised his hand, placating. Kiyoshi Teppei was not a man of violence or anger, despite his appearance. "I was walking my dog when I came across the guy running away after beating up some drunken folks. I had to stop him." His eyes lifted to see Kagami. "Kagami, long time no see. How's work?"

But Kagami wasn't looking at Kiyoshi. His eyes were glued to the demon spawn that was playfully yapping at his teammates. He didn't even register that Kuroko and Sakurai had returned, his eyes widening when the demon turned towards him and jumped.

"Get it off!" Kagami screamed, kicking at chairs, scrambling for his life onto the desk and bringing his knees up. Everyone looked on in astonishment as the small dog barked up at the cowering giant, its blue eyes shining with playfulness and its tail wagging with joy.

Hyuuga was the first one who burst out laughing. He was he was one of the most senior officers, but couldn't keep his voice down and his subordinates followed. "Kagami? Scared of dogs? How did you even get into law enforcement?"

"I got bitten when I was a child," Kagami flushed. "They're evil!"

Aomine clapped his hands in realisation, an evil grin pulling at his lips. "Is that how you got that scar on your ass?"

The laughter died down at the comment, then resumed even louder.

"Told you they're fucking. Now pay up," Wakamatsu smirked at Hyuuga, who huffily handed him a thousand yen.

 _Since when had those two gotten close?!_ Kagami's embarrassment turned to anger. "Don't place bets on us!"

Aomine glanced at his watch, his grin melting into a tight frown. "Ah, this late already? I'm leaving." Ignoring Kagami's protests, he walked straight out the door without a backwards glance. Kagami wanted to go after the man but saw Kiyoshi approaching.

Kiyoshi grabbed the dog's leash and let Kuroko take care of him so Kagami could get to his feet. The dog and Kuroko looked uncannily alike. Kagami belatedly remembered Kiyoshi talking about "Tetsu No. 2" and how he had adopted a puppy at the beginning of the year because it looked so cute and pitiful like his subordinate. Kuroko had been amused and only slightly insulted.

Kiyoshi placed a hand on Kagami's shoulder. "Jokes aside, Kagami, we need to talk."

Kagami looked at Kiyoshi's knees. "How's the injury?"

He smiled. "The bullet shattered my kneecap, but rehab is going well. More importantly, the guy I brought in?" his face grew grim. "Tetsu No. 2 started barking like crazy when I caught the guy. You should probably… _search_ him. He's in Interrogation Room 1."

Kagami got the hint. "Why tell me this, and not Chief?"

Kiyoshi shrugged. "I'm no longer on active duty. I'll leave the telling to you. She'd freak out if I was more involved."

Kagami nodded and headed towards the interrogation room. One glance through the window in the door had his heart beating faster. He opened the door and closed it behind him, walking up to the man seated in the metal chair, bathed in cheap white lighting. The culprit looked up at him.

Takao grinned. "Miss me?"

* * *

 **Well, I'm kinda nervous about this fic, but I hope everyone is enjoying it!**  
 **I feel as though Aomine and Kagami would be more mature than their high school counterparts, seeing as they are about 26 AND in law enforcement, but in the end they're all idiots. XD**  
 **Thanks for the support! I'll try to have Chapter 3 here by Aomine's birthday!**  
 **As always, gentle criticism is welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3: Storm

**Another update! And so soon too. Honestly these chapters are so long. Should I cut the length or are you all happy with massive updates?**

 **Anyway, I'll blabber at the end. Enjoy the chapter. ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Storm**

Night fell earlier in the winter, and the weak street lights did a poor job in illuminating the rundown basketball court. A small silhouette stood beneath the hoop, silently gazing up at the metal structure.

The chain link fence clattered as Aomine stepped through it. The man turned around, his mismatched eyes managing to reflect what little light there was. "Eight on the dot. Very punctual of you, Daiki."

"Akashi," Aomine snarled, feeling fury simmering in his veins. "That was Midorima this morning, wasn't it?"

Akashi lifted an eyebrow.

"I'd know that bastard's shooting anywhere! He was always a show off. You're the one that ordered him to shoot at Kagami, didn't you?"

Akashi smiled and Aomine could feel the ice in it. "I gave Shintarou his orders. How he carried them out is of no concern to me, as long as the job gets done."

"Bullshit," he growled. "You already know how I feel about him. I had to ignore him for months because I was busy doing your dirty work. You tapped my phone or some shit, yeah? Blackmail isn't enough for you, now you have to _threaten_ me?" Aomine's fists clenched. "How low will you go, you bastard-"

His back hit the fence with a clatter, and pain shot through his spine and straight into his head. He groaned as the smaller man fisted his shirt, his eyes boring into Aomine's own. His golden eye flashed with supressed anger. Akashi may have been small, but the man knew just how to throw his weight the right way.

"One more insolent word from you, and I will cut your tongue out. Don't be a fool," he said evenly, mouth pressed in a thin line. Aomine didn't doubt him for a second. With a brisk nod from Aomine, Akashi let him go and stepped back. "Good. And yes, I had your phone tapped a long time ago," he added offhandedly. "Now for that good news I wanted to tell you about. Of course I know about your…attraction to that detective, as though it hadn't been blatantly obvious the moment you met him." He smiled and Aomine wasn't sure if it was genuine or not. "You seemed to get that light back in your eyes. The light we all lost."

Aomine wanted to talk back, but knew better. He opted for scowling instead. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to seduce Detective Kagami Taiga."

Aomine wasn't sure he heard right. "Sorry. _What?_ "

Akashi smirked. "Shouldn't be a problem. You should _enjoy_ it."

"B-but _why_?"

Akashi sighed. "Superintendent Riko Aida is a very capable woman, and I was worried when she opened up this strange little investigation of hers, but it seems that it will work for the best. She probably has no idea that I am fully aware of her operations. I asked you to get Imayoshi Shouichi to initiate the joint operation so that you would get access to their files. But to get more information, I need you to be more closely involved without seeming suspicious," he spoke as though he were communicating with a child. "What better way than to be in a relationship with their top detective? You could snoop around, and access data on his phone and his computer quite easily. Get him to talk about thing he wouldn't normally mention."

Aomine's heart sank at every word. No, Akashi couldn't be serious. Couldn't be this cruel.

"Don't make that face, Daiki. It's good news. You can play with little Taiga _and_ get the job done, at the same time."

"Don't. Call. Him. That." He could feel anger and panic churn like a foul concoction in his stomach. _Seduce Kagami? So I can_ use _him? If I'm gonna seduce that bastard I want it on my own grounds!_ But fighting with Akashi right now would be disastrous, not only for Aomine but for the ones he cared about as well. Using Kagami…that was unforgivable, but he'd already done unforgivable things – which was why he was in this mess in the first place. If he could protect that man by betraying him, he would. And although his life had been peppered with falsehoods and half-truths, his feelings for Kagami weren't lies at all. Then he realised something. "W-why can't Tetsu do it? He's been Kagami's partner for years! They're practically brothers!"

The redhead's eyes narrowed fractionally. "Tetsuya…has been a little difficult to get a hold of."

Aomine couldn't say he was surprised. Kuroko wasn't _as_ involved as the rest of them. And the guy had balls. Enough to bite back against Akashi, unlike the cowards the rest of them were.

Akashi tilted his head. "Also…Kagami Taiga's phone. I'd like you to install my company's antivirus software on it, and then delete the application. It shouldn't require a password to download."

Aomine's eyes widened. "Your company's software? _Akashi Antivirus_? Is that how you tapped my phone?"

Akashi looked at him curiously before shaking his head. "You ask a lot of questions. Befitting of a police officer," he added, completely dodging the question. "And also, the reason I wanted to physically meet you…" he tossed something into the air.

Aomine caught it, examining the small black device.

"I want that in the superintendent's office."

He stared at the redhead blankly. "You want me to spy on my superior?"

"As if you haven't done worse," Akashi raised an eyebrow. "And you won't be the one doing the listening. You have your orders. And Daiki, behave yourself."

Aomine could only scoff at the irony of that remark.

* * *

Kagami stared at the man cuffed in front of him as he grinned playfully.

"Miss me?" Takao sniggered, rocking in his chair. He had a bruise on his left cheek and a split lip. Kagami shook his head, walking up to him and taking out the key for the handcuffs. "I've always had a thing for cuffs. They're really kinky, aren't they? Say, have you ever had sex with handcuffs? Maybe with that guy you were this morning. He looked like the kind who would…appreciate the creativity."

Kagami scowled, colouring at Takao's language as he unlocked the shackles. "Aomine's just my partner," he mumbled. "What are you doing? I thought your petty crime days were over. And stand up. I need to check you."

"Aomine, huh?" Takao frowned, as though the name meant something to him. He stood up and allowed Kagami to pat him down.

Kagami stiffened when his hand hit something in Takao's right jacket pocket. He pulled out a cylindrical container of white powder and sniffed it before slamming it down on the table. He glowered. This was what Kiyoshi was talking about. "Heroin, Takao? Where did it come from? Tell me and maybe I won't have to charge you for drug possession. You don't want to spend five years in prison, do you?"

Takao leaned back in his chair, darting a glance out the door. "Put it away, Kagami. _Now_. Please."

Kagami frowned at Takao's slightly panicked tone, but pocketed the illegal drug. He sat down opposite Takao and placed his hands on the table. "What's really going on, Takao?" he asked more gently.

Takao bit his lips. "Look, I can't meet like you like we used to, and the fact that I got myself into a fight when that ex-cop was walking past wasn't a coincidence either. I'm not supposed to be here. The last time we met was supposed to be just that – the _last_ time." He looked down at his hands, his grin disappearing. "I like you Kagami, you're a good guy. I don't want to see a good guy like you get hurt. So I'm telling you right now," he glanced up. "You're walking on thin ice. You never wondered why this investigation was opened up in the first place?"

"The joint operation?" Kagami puckered his brow.

Takao shook his head. "Not the operation, the _investigation_. The operation is like the method. The investigation is the purpose. Why did it happen in the first place?"

"Chief never told us," Kagami said. "We were just given orders."

Takao massaged his temples, and Kagami had never seen the man look so defeated. It unsettled him. "You may call me selfish, but I've risked so much just coming here. Look, I don't know much and I don't want to say much, but…" his slate grey eyes trained onto Kagami's fiery red. "There's a storm coming, and if you keep doing what you are, you're gonna be stuck in it. I don't…I never wanted to be involved, and it isn't fun," he raked a hand through his hair.

Kagami's mouth went dry. "What…what are you talking about?"

"Kagami…the Kiseki Syndicate. They're coming back."

* * *

Kagami could feel his heart thundering in his ears, cold sweat beading his forehead.

 _The Kiseki Syndicate_.

He could remember that day like it was yesterday, and suddenly he was living it again.

* * *

"Mum, I need to take a dump."

Mrs Kagami Keiko frowned at her son's choice of words, but Kagami Taiga could see her holding back a grin. She smiled sweetly at the bank teller in front of her. "Excuse me, but where is the men's bathroom?"

"Just down the hall to the right."

"I'll be back," the red haired young boy ran away, ignoring his mother's yells to stay safe. He was already fifteen, he could go to the toilet by himself.

He was so excited. Junior high had finished just last week, and his father had informed them that due to his business, the family was moving to Los Angeles, America. Taiga felt giddy, dizzy with apprehension and excitement at the prospect of a new land, a new language, a new culture. His mother was in charge of sorting their overseas accounts, which was why they were here in the first place.

Taiga zipped up his pants and went to unlock the door.

It was stuck.

He felt panic burn in his throat as he pulled it, over and over. He didn't want to be stuck, where no one could hear him. How long would he be there? A few hours? A few days? No, his mother wouldn't forget about him. Right?

It wouldn't _budge_! _Move, move, move!_

He stumbled backwards as it finally swung open, the relief he felt overpowering. He took a deep breath, laughing nervously at how scared he had gotten just over a jammed door. Worried over nothing.

Taiga was washing his hands, when he heard the bang.

He didn't know what the sound was, but it didn't sound nice. He creaked open the door of the bathroom, and creeped down the hallway, peering out. His mind went blank.

The cowering people or the masked men seemed to miss his attention completely.

All he could see was the woman on the ground, dark hair curling in a pool of liquid the colour of Taiga's hair. Her purse lay at her side, forgotten.

There was nothing after that. No tears, no screaming. Taiga merely fell to his knees for the longest of times, longer than any other time, while people screamed and police horns blared and a blanket draped over him. Someone picked him up. It smelt like his dad.

He closed his eyes, but he didn't see darkness. Only her.

* * *

"Kagami? Kagami? Hey, are you…crying…?"

Kagami blinked up and into confused grey eyes, remembering where he was. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers and they came off wet. His hand was shaking. "No, I…Kiseki Syndicate? That's impossible. After their numerous failed operations and inner feuds over ten years ago, the syndicate was dissolved and the main heads were never found," he intoned as though reciting from a textbook.

"Exactly," Takao nodded, still looking warily at Kagami. "I'm not the best person to discuss this, but I think you should talk to your Chief about it. If I say anything else, I'll get myself in deeper shit." His cheeky grin returned. "So, since I got arrested just to be helpful to you, you'll let me go right?"

"Helpful? I just have more questions. But I know you're not gonna talk, about the Kiseki, or the shooting. Or your little present." It was Kagami's turn to grin, although it came out slightly forced. "It'll look too suspicious if I just let you leave, and I need to get revenge for the bullet that ruined my favourite jacket."

"Why is that my fault?"

"Because that bullet was aimed at you, obviously," Kagami snorted. "I won't cuff you again if you follow quietly."

Takao didn't respond until they reached the holding cells. Once he was locked in, he turned around. "…Kagami. The heroin. That wasn't a mistake either. I'm not that stupid. But do me a favour, keep it to yourself. I can't tell you where I got it, but it'll lead you to someone who can."

Kagami subconsciously felt his pocket. "Why keep it to myself?"

Takao lay down on the flimsy bed. "You may not want to take any delicate information to the police until you have a solid case," he muttered. "The Kiseki have eyes and ears everywhere. And although they aren't at full power, they're still quite capable. You shouldn't be quick to trust anyone," he said. "We're all bastards here."

Kagami gripped the cell bars. "Are you saying there's a mole?"

Takao shook his head. "Moles, hackers, I don't know anything. I'm just some petty criminal. A tired one." And with that, he turned around and spoke no more.

* * *

Kagami was walking up the stairs up to his apartment when he saw a silhouette lounging by the yellow light of the hallway outside his door. He instinctively reached for his gun before realising he kept it at the precinct when he was off duty. He had one in his apartment, but obviously couldn't get to it right now. Crouching low, he slowly made his way forward, preparing for the worst. The figure turned around, and Kagami relaxed when he saw midnight blue hair glinting in the light, and familiarly long limbs reclining against the opposite wall. The man had a basketball in his hands.

"What are you doing here, Aomine?"

Aomine snapped his head up and gave Kagami a small smile. Kagami could feel his traitorous heart speed up, but he evened his breathing and walked up to his partner.

"Look Kagami," Aomine straightened up and twirled the ball on his finger. "We both got off on the wrong side of the bed today, and I wanted to make sure we were…well…that we were still okay."

Kagami felt a muscle twitch at the unsubtle reminder. " _You_ wanna make things okay? You hit your head or something?"

Aomine tossed the ball and Kagami grabbed it instinctively. "Remember how we used to play often at the Academy? Then we got separated, and our jobs got busy."

" _You're_ the one who got busy, ignoring me for the past few months," Kagami mumbled. He didn't mean to sound bitter but it came out that way.

Instead of teasing him, Aomine just sighed. "I'm sorry." And in that moment, in that light, Kagami could see the wrinkles of exhaustion on Aomine's face, the tenseness in his shoulders, like the weight of the world was on him and there was no one to help.

Kagami didn't know what was wrong, but he wanted to help. And he would in the best way he knew. "Okay, I forgive you. Let's play some ball. There's a court a few blocks down from here."

Aomine seemed to brighten up a bit, and as they began walking, he spoke up. "I still remember the first time I met you, you know."

"I don't think I'd forget either. It was that stupid team bonding thing at the Academy wasn't it?"

Aomine chuckled, and Kagami's face warmed. "Yeah. Tetsu had spoken about you, but that day when we played against each other, facing each other on opposite teams, I saw the chemistry between you and Tetsu. I saw that passion and love for basketball I thought I had lost. And I found it again." He closed his eyes briefly.

 _If only you had come into my life a few years earlier. How different would my life have been?_

 _If only you weren't my partner. Why is life so cruel?_

Kagami shot him a sideways glance. "You really _have_ hit your head, haven't you? Getting all mushy like that."

Aomine scowled as Kagami opened the rusty gate to the basketball court. "Shut up, asshole. Here I am trying to connect and you go and ruin it."

Kagami laughed and Aomine couldn't help but smirk in response. "Yeah, yeah. We gonna play or what? First to three baskets wins."

They took off their jackets and dumped them on the ground. Aomine rolled his shoulders and lowered his stance. Kagami dribbled the ball in front of him, and in an instant, he flashed past Aomine. Aomine grinned, twisting on his heel and launching himself at his opponent, hand going to spear the ball out of the others reach. Kagami saw the movement in the corner of his eye and switched hands a split second too late. Aomine whooped as his fingers scraped the ball and he twirled around Kagami, grabbing the wayward basketball and tossing it towards the hoop. He felt a shadow fall over him as Kagami jumped in the air, his perfect form catching the ball at its highest peak, before landing and running for those insanely long slam dunks of his.

Kagami laughed at his victory, Aomine catching the ball as Kagami passed it. "Don't make this too easy!"

Aomine shook his head. Kagami really was the best. There was nothing that equalled playing basketball with this man. That feeling of exhilaration, excitement, hot and heavy strenuous exercise leaving him sweaty and panting.

That thought led Aomine to wonder what having _sex_ with Kagami would feel like.

 _Okay, stop._ Aomine smacked the ball against the ground.

Kagami's eyes were absolutely focused, ignoring everything but Aomine and the ball. He was so different when he played basketball. Focused, serious, yet that passion and love for the sport shone through his eyes and smile. Aomine couldn't hurt this man. He wouldn't forgive himself if he ever did. He took in a deep breathe. _I'll protect you. No matter what, I'll protect you_. _Even if you end up hating me._

He rushed forward, dodging Kagami's interceptions, and aiming for a formless shot. Kagami was just a little behind, and the ball only missed his fingers by millimetres and slammed against the backboard before falling through the hoop.

"Please, Kagami, give me a challenge."

Kagami snorted, eyes analysing Aomine's stance. Kagami made the next basket with more ease than he would've expected. Aomine was playing really well, of course, but he seemed distracted. Kagami had thought there was something deeper when Aomine had showed up in front of his door, but he assumed Aomine would tell him when he was ready. But if it was affecting his playing, Kagami needed to know.

"What's wrong?"

The question took Aomine off guard. The ball felt heavy in his hands. It never felt heavy when he played with Kagami. He looked up. "Nothing."

It definitely wasn't nothing since it allowed Kagami to make the third basket, and he wasn't even out of breath. Aomine ran his hands through his hair, staring at the sky as the ball bounced away, partly forgotten. Kagami grabbed Aomine's shoulder and Aomine stiffened. "Tell me. I…I can help."

Aomine scoffed. "You can't, Kagami." His voice was soft and his eyes reflected Kagami's own sadness.

Kagami grabbed his other shoulder and shook him, hating his expression. "Dammit, Aomine, I'm your partner!"

"That's the problem!" he shoved back, and Kagami stumbled back at the sudden force. He felt himself stumble over his feet and go off balance, falling…

He braced for the fall. His body was enveloped in heat, his hip hitting painfully against the concrete but something bony cushioning his head as it cracked against the pavement.

" _Shit_ , Kagami, oh god, are you okay?"

Kagami blinked owlishly as he stared into eyes the colour of the night sky. Such a beautiful, pure colour. He reached out subconsciously to cup Aomine's worried face. "I'm fine. Your hand…"

Aomine was cradling his head, his legs between Kagami's splayed ones as the two of them lay awkwardly on the ground. His other hand was trapped beneath Kagami's waist. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed. I just fuck everything up…" he made to pull away but Kagami fisted his hands in his shirt. Aomine quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Don't-" Kagami's voice cracked like a teenage boy's. He had no idea what he was doing. Aomine was so close, he could smell the other's sweat. It smelt nice. _Really_ nice. "I-I'm okay. You didn't…fuck anything…" he could only stare at Aomine's lips, so close to him.

Aomine could feel Kagami's breath against his face. He could feel the sting where his knuckles had hit the ground. But the only thing that he noticed were Kagami's eyes on his lips. Lips that he licked, tantalising slow, just to see those bewitching red eyes follow the movement.

He almost laughed. He didn't need to seduce Kagami. Kagami was the one who was doing the seducing, and he had already fallen long ago. He came closer slowly, allowing Kagami time to move away.

They weren't drunk. They weren't angry. Their heads were as clear as they could get when they were around each other.

Kagami closed the distance himself, and this time, the kiss was soft and chaste. Kagami's lips were slightly chapped from the cold, but they tasted like ambrosia. A few teasing licks to each other's mouths and they could already feel their heads clouding. Things never seemed to stay tame when it came to the two.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Kagami gasped into Aomine's mouth as his hands slid around Aomine's back and into his hair. _I've wanted to do this for so long._

"There are a lot of things we shouldn't be doing," Aomine murmured as he used the hand that was holding Kagami's head to tilt his mouth at just the right angle, his other arm pulling Kagami's body closer to him. "Are you really sure about this?"

Kagami really was a drug. The best kind.

The _worst_ kind.

Kagami licked his lips, closing his eyes. "I'm really sure I'm _hard_." He proved his point by slowly wrapping his legs around Aomine's waist and rolling his hips. _I'm really sure I've just lost my mind._

Aomine groaned at the contact. Whoever called Kagami innocent was _sinfully_ wrong. He thrusted in response just to hear Kagami's stifled moan. Their lips met again, and this time, chasteness had left the court. Aomine sucked and nibbled Kagami's lips and tongue, the redhead rutting obscenely on the ground. Kagami's nails scraped through Aomine's scalp and he felt tingles of pleasure run down his neck. It felt _amazing_. Aomine's brain had only one agenda – getting Kagami to moan his name. He slipped his hand under Kagami's shirt, brushing against his nipples and sending jolt of pleasure shuddering through Kagami's body.

Kagami breathed heavily against Aomine's neck. He didn't know what was happening, but for some reason, he couldn't control his body. Or his brain. Or his mouth. _I want to taste him_. He licked and bit Aomine's neck as the bastard's fingers danced over his chest, teasing and touching.

This wasn't supposed to happen. They were on a fucking _basketball court_. Sure, it was about ten at night, but anyone could walk in or hear them. Kagami felt like a sinner, dry humping his work partner in a place that symbolised the pure happiness and joy in his life.

 _Hmm. Maybe it's a sign. Maybe Aomine…can actually…also…_ his thoughts short circuited as he felt Aomine's hand sneak into his pants.

" _Ahhhh_ ," Kagami's legs tightened around Aomine, the breath catching in his throat. "Don't…there…touch…"

Aomine pecked Kagami's lips as he wrapped his long fingers around the redhead's length. Kagami squirmed on the ground. "Too fast?"

" _Too slow_ ," Kagami hissed and to Aomine's – and frankly, also Kagami's – surprise, he thrust into Aomine's hand. Kagami's hands slipped under the other's shirt, and Kagami's breath trembled when he felt that silky skin under his fingers. His brain was so clouded. He didn't care about the rough ground scraping against his back. He just craved more contact.

Aomine's brain was memorising the image of a sweaty and needy Kagami sprawled beneath him. _It probably isn't a good idea to make him come out in the open._ Aomine shoved the thought out of his head. In fact, making Kagami come out in the open sounded like a fucking _fantastic_ idea. He pumped his hand, twisting and flicking his fingers, carefully using his blunt nails to tease and coax.

Kagami panted heavily, licking his way into Aomine's mouth. He'd never moved this fast with anyone in his life, any of his few past relationships, but right now nothing mattered. Only Aomine mattered. Only Aomine.

 _Only Aomine_.

" _Aomine_ ," he whispered. " _Ahh_ …I'm _close._ "

Aomine kissed him back, slowly, tenderly. "Let go. I'm here," he sighed.

Kagami felt the pressure pool, the ecstasy shoot through his spine as he spilled into Aomine's hand with a long moan. He blinked through the haze, hands slipping down Aomine's arms. "W-what about you?"

Aomine smirked against his lips. "Take it as an apology for me being a jerk."

Kagami managed a tired laugh. "I can't believe we just did that in public. Two detectives. Two _partners_."

Aomine rolled off Kagami and languidly washed his hands at the tap that was beside the court. He came back to lie beside Kagami as the two of them stared at the sky. A few stars managed to shine through Tokyo's backstreet light pollution. "So, what now?"

"Well, I'm kind of sticky so I want a shower. And I ruined _your_ pants. I should probably wash them for you." Kagami knew that wasn't what Aomine had meant, but his brain was too lethargic to think of what came after. "And if you come over, you can take care of yourself too."

 _Ah. Did I actually just say that?_

Aomine grinned lazily. "In the shower? With you?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Kagami blushed, draping a hand over his eyes to hide his embarrassment.

Showering with Aomine.

 _Oh god yes_.

Aomine got to his feet unhurriedly and held out a hand to help Kagami up. "Sure you didn't." The worry had left his expression for the time being, and that enough made Kagami happy. He took the offered hand and after picking up their jackets, the two made their way back to his apartment, Aomine's arm thrown over Kagami's shoulders.

Neither of them noticed the shadow that appeared near the court. Pastel blue eyes followed the two oblivious detectives as they walked back home. The figure bent down to pick up a container that had fallen from Kagami's jacket, the white powder within gleaming in the dirty yellow light of the lamps.

A phone vibrated, and a pale hand brought it up to the owner's ear.

"Hello, Akashi-kun."

* * *

 **About the romance: Too fast? About time? Don't care?**

 **The focus of the story is the plot, but I thought the two had pined enough. To be fair, the smut wasn't planned. It just kinda...happened? Hahaha...**

 **Since this story is a bit heavy, and takes a lot of time to write, I'll probably be putting up fluffy and lighter one-shots from time to time (like Americano Express, Bestiality and Applause). If you have any prompts you would like me to consider in the future, mention them in a comment or message me here or on tumblr! :D**

 **Thanks for reading, and for everyone's support! Your comments make my day brighter. And to guest reviewers, thank you so much as well. Get an account so I can thank you properly! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4: Trust

**Oh my, is this another update? I was not expecting to get it out this early. The powers of procrastination are amazing.**  
 **If only my reports were done this efficiently lol.**

 **Anyway, enough of my blabbering. Read on and I hope you enjoy! :D**

 **Unedited so let me know of any mistakes/inconsistencies.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Trust**

The walk back to Kagami's apartment was short and silent.

Kagami's brain was slowly rebooting, even though Aomine's close presence and faded cologne wasn't helping. He shot the man a sideways glance. They had known each other for the past seven years, ever since Kagami got accepted into police training at the ripe age of nineteen. Kagami could remember their first basketball match like yesterday. It wasn't only Aomine who had that event burned into his memory.

The thrill, the adrenalin, the pure rush of joy and excitement.

It had felt like Kagami had been living in a world of muted colours, and when he saw Aomine, he realised what he had been missing.

Of course, the guy had been – and still was – a complete asshole. But somewhere along the way, between increasingly frequent one-on-ones, late-night home-made dinners, and constant bickering, Kagami had felt something. Something he had mercilessly crushed and stomped down and ignored because he valued their friendship too much. And if he ever thought he saw Aomine look at him in _that_ way, slip an innuendo or two in his words, Kagami had ignored it because he had been afraid he was seeing something that didn't exist.

Apparently, it _had_ existed.

As he unlocked his front door, he cleared his throat. "You know, I always thought you were a boobs guy."

Aomine followed him inside. "I am. A man can like both, can't he?"

Kagami shrugged as he flipped the light switch and took of his coat, throwing it over the couch. He felt a little uneasy. "Yeah, but…well, I don't want it to be something…I mean…" he trailed off, embarrassed at what he was thinking.

"A fling?" Aomine helpfully supplied as he plopped down onto the couch.

Kagami shrugged again as he walked into his bedroom and rifled through his drawers for clean clothes.

Aomine sighed. "You're not a fling, Kagami," he said, voice soft. "You never were."

Kagami looked through the door at him, just in time to see Aomine's cheeks slightly colouring. He couldn't help the small chuckle that slipped through his lips. Seven years it had taken them to figure out their mutual feelings, and they were partners in law enforcement when they did.

Timing was a bitch.

"I'm taking a shower first. Don't move, we still have to talk about what the fuck we're going to do about… _this_ ," he gestured vaguely between the two of them.

Aomine gave a lecherous smile. "I can join you. Save water."

Kagami slammed the door closed with gusto, the sound doing little to drown out Aomine's laughter.

Aomine rolled his eyes. Talking about feelings and relationships. Wasn't _that_ exciting?

His eyes drifted to the red smartphone that Kagami had left on the kitchen counter. He ambled up to it, chewing on his bottom lip as his fingers brushed the glass. He pressed the menu button and the screen lit up. He stared at it.

 _Please enter PIN._

He got three chances before it stopped operating for five minutes. Aomine knew Kagami took long showers, if this morning was anything to go by. His fingers hovered hesitantly over the buttons. The PIN could have countless possibilities. It might even be some random combination. But given Kagami's naiveté, it was likely to be a date or something equally easy to remember.

 _0802_

It buzzed. _Please re-enter PIN._

 _Idiot. Of course Kagami wouldn't be stupid enough to put his own birthdate_. He licked his lips.

 _0831_

It buzzed again. He almost felt ashamed at the wasted attempt, but he couldn't resist trying out his own birthdate against logical thought. Kagami probably didn't even know when his birthday was, and he felt even more embarrassed at knowing the redhead's. He heard the shower turn off, and his heartbeat quickened.

 _Fuck, that was a quick shower!_

The screen and its keypad mocked him. He took a deep breath, swallowing his nervousness. What other number would be significant to Kagami? Maybe…the date they graduated from the Academy?

It was a long shot; but at that moment, he couldn't think of anything else.

One last chance.

 _0320_

* * *

When Kagami stepped into the kitchen, he saw Aomine rifling through his fridge. The food thief looked up with a grin, tossing a can of beer to his partner and opening one for himself. Kagami shook his head at him and took out leftover curry from two days ago. He was _starving_. The lunch they had picked up on the way back to the station that morning hadn't been enough, and it had been hours ago. As he heated it on the stove, Aomine leaned against the counter.

"Shit, that smells good."

"It tastes good too," Kagami muttered, turning around to hide the faint blush of pride on his cheeks. He took a swig from the beer can.

"You'd make an amazing wife."

Kagami nearly spouted the beer through his nose. "And you'd make a shit husband. Go take a fucking shower!"

Aomine rolled his eyes. "I need underwear. And preferably fresh clothes."

Kagami decided that drinking or eating anything in the vicinity of Aomine was bad for his nasal passage.

Aomine scowled. "Even I'm not disgusting enough to wear the same underwear three times in a row."

Kagami pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Maybe you can just go home then."

"You fucking kidding me? After smelling that food? I'm too hungry," Aomine swirled the liquid in his can before looking up, almost shyly. "And I thought you wanted to talk."

Kagami stirred the curry. "Yeah. About us."

"What's there to talk about?" Aomine shrugged. "We like each other. We like making out with each other, touching each other, hopefully fu-"

"We're _partners_ ," the redhead interrupted before the other could finish his obviously inappropriate sentence. "It's against the rules."

"Like that's gonna stop us," Aomine snorted. When Kagami shot him a look, he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Seriously? God knows how long this fucking operation is going to last." His gaze dropped to the floor. _Or what you'll do once it finishes. What you'll do when – if – you find out. About everything._ Aomine licked his lips. "They might even get us to go back to our departments while _simultaneously_ working on related cases. I don't see the problem."

"Figures you'd say that," Kagami sighed. "You don't think they'd find out?"

"If they think we're screwing when we're _not_ , they won't know the difference if we _are_."

"We're not screwing!" Kagami snapped, voice slightly high pitched. "We…we just started a relationship. Let's do things in order." _I want this to mean something. I want it to be different. Special._

Aomine raised a brow. "Old fashioned are we? Don't worry, we'll screw soon."

Kagami rolled his eyes. "So…we're dating, then?"

Aomine smirked at that. "If you want to call it that."

"What would _you_ call it?"

"Uh…dating, I guess?"

Kagami nearly upended the boiling pot of broth onto his head. "Just go take a shower. I'll give you a new pair of underwear so shut up," he added before Aomine could complain.

* * *

They were expected to be at the station on Sundays too. Crime never took a day off.

Well, crime seemed to be taking many days off, which was why Kagami was determined to confront his boss and ask her exactly what it was they were doing. Takao's words about _purpose_ and _trust_ wouldn't leave him alone.

He had made Aomine take the couch, but felt slightly bad afterwards for making the other sleep uncomfortably. He tried to convince himself it was Aomine's fault since the man himself didn't want to go home for the night. However, Kagami still got up early to make pancakes and the smell did wonders in waking up his houseguest. Kagami had to give him an extra toothbrush because apparently using just his finger and paste like yesterday wasn't "hygienic". As though Aomine was an expert on hygiene.

They'd literally started "dating" yesterday, and the guy had already invaded his home.

The redhead suppressed the strange warmth he felt in his chest at the thought and mixed the batter with added vigour.

* * *

Kagami drove them this time, and the team was mercifully silent as they made their way into the precinct. There was a strange atmosphere in the room, as though everyone was holding their breath. Waiting. Expecting. Kagami tapped the shoulder of the nearest officer. "Furihata, what's going on?"

"Oh, Kagami," Furihata's large eyes blinked up at him. "I'm not too sure, I just got here, but apparently we have someone else joining our team," he pointed to the superintendent's office. "Chief's in there right now talking to them."

Kagami nodded and glanced at Aomine, who shrugged. "Don't ask me."

The door suddenly swung open and most of the stationhouse's jaws dropped to the floor.

Striding out of their boss's office was a beauty. Long rosy hair was secured tightly in a bun, with a few curls that framed a heart-shaped face. A pair of eyes glittered like pink diamonds and red lips were pulled into a smile. The woman was dressed in a light grey dress suit and held a black leather purse, adding to the image of a gorgeous professional. Kagami didn't think anyone could miss her generous chest either – although he wasn't interested in women that way, he was sure Aomine would definitely be appreciating the view.

Aomine's mouth had clearly dropped open. However, to Kagami's surprise, instead of leering, Aomine began _frowning_.

"Satsuki, what the _actual_ fuck?"

Kagami blinked. _Satsuki?_

The newcomer looked up at him, and her face lit up before registering his words. "Dai-chan, it's been months! And this is how you greet me?"

 _DAI-CHAN?!_

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Aomine growled, shooting a look at Kagami. "Look, you bonehead, this isn't what it looks like. This chick is the most annoy-"

"Good morning, team," Aida Riko's voice cut through all conversations without preamble. "I'd like you to welcome a new addition. This is Momoi Satsuki, and she has just returned from nine months' training in Fukuoka." Her chocolate eyes flashed with anticipation. "She will be our resident criminal profiler."

"What the _FUCK_ , Satsuki?" Aomine asked articulately, ignoring Riko's sharp look of disapproval. This was quite an admirable, if not stupid, feat.

"Tetsu-kun knew," Momoi sniffed, crossing her arms under her breasts.

As if on cue, a voice spoke from behind Kagami. "That's quite true."

Kagami's heart jumped up into his throat at the voice from nowhere. Aomine hadn't fared much better. "You _knew_ and you didn't tell me?" he hissed. "How much more do you know, Tetsu…?"

Kagami's eyebrows scrunched at the strange wording of the question, and the way Aomine's voice had dropped, but Kuroko just shrugged. "Momoi-san called me a few days back to let me know she was returning to Tokyo. I just found out yesterday that she was to be assigned to our team. And anyway," his eyes slid to Kagami, and his lips twitched. Kagami wasn't sure if he was supressing a smile or a frown. "You've been otherwise occupied."

Kagami could feel himself panic, but surely if Kuroko knew, he wouldn't snitch on them? They were best friends, like brothers. Kuroko even knew about Kagami's feelings during the Academy days. Kagami mentally shook his head. He trusted Kuroko. And he trusted Aomine, too – in most cases.

"But why is Satsuki _here_?" Aomine's voice was slightly alarmed. "You…you can't work on this case!"

Momoi pouted, eyes flashing with defiance and a little bit of hurt. "Dai-chan, you have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do! I thought you'd be happy, but I guess our relationship wasn't as important as I thought. Well, it doesn't matter. I'm here, and I'm going to help Aida-san crack this case like an egg!" she huffed, and strode past Aomine's shocked face.

"Oi, Satsu- hey, come on!" he turned on his heel after glaring at Kuroko and followed the glowering female outside.

 _Important relationship?_ Kagami felt his mouth go dry. Was this his ex-girlfriend or something? And now that Kagami was in the picture, Aomine didn't want her working with them? He scowled, and a sharp pain throbbed in his chest. That bastard had just chased that woman! Was Kagami just a fling, even after Aomine had said he wasn't? _Why, I'm going to skin that-_

"Kagami-kun, please stop looking like a jealous wife," Kuroko's monotonous voice pierced through Kagami's murderous thoughts. Before Kagami could splutter in indignation, Kuroko continued. "Momoi-san and Aomine-kun are childhood friends. They're like siblings to each other," he explained with a slight quirking of his lips. "Or I guess she would be more like the nagging mother and he would be the idiot son."

Kagami tried to suppress his sheepish blush to no avail. "I-I see. Not that…I cared or anything."

Kuroko nearly rolled his eyes. "Kagami-kun, I won't tell Chief, but if you make it any more obvious she will find out."

Kagami scratched his head and sighed. "So you _do_ know…ah, not that there's anything to know!"

To Kagami's mild surprise, Kuroko grabbed onto his sleeve. "Kagami-kun, about Aomine-kun, there's something you should…" he trailed off, usually impassive eyes wavering with slight emotion, but then he seemed to divert the line of speech following his hesitation. "Your relationship. I…the only thing I have against it is that I think Aomine-kun does not deserve you. He is too selfish, and you are too selfless. But maybe that's why you click." His eyes flickered downwards for the barest of moments. "But…even though I do not know him as well as Momoi-san, we have been friends for well over ten years. And I've known _you_ for around seven."

He paused but Kagami could tell that there was more. He had never seen Kuroko dither so much, carefully choosing his words as though they were made of glass. Or as though the wrong words would shatter Kagami like _he_ was glass.

"I know that you make each other happy," he whispered – and there it was, a small and genuine smile. "And I want both of my dearest friends to be happy. That's all I want, Kagami-kun, because you deserve happiness. So I will do all that is in my power to support you." His grip tightened and his gaze returned to its trademark blankness. "But if Aomine-kun ruins your happiness, I'll castrate him."

Kagami was silent, before placing a hand on Kuroko's head and ruffling his hair, diffusing the rest of the tension. "Kuroko, you little bastard, prying into my private life. Stop saying so much mushy happy shit. And yeah, Aomine's a jackass, but he's a hot jackass."

Kuroko snorted lightly, but his eyes were shining with mirth and the stiffness that had gathered in his shoulders had dissipated. "I thought you were an angel, Kagami-kun, but I guess we all get fooled now and then."

"Aomine has his good points, probably." Kagami shrugged. "He's good at basketball. And strangely caring, in his own asshole way. My thoughts just can't stay away from him, for some reason." As soon as the words left his mouth, he blinked. _Did I just say that? To_ Kuroko _?_

"Love doesn't need a reason," Kuroko noted absently, turning around. "I'll go check to make sure Aomine-kun hasn't made Momoi-san too angry. And Kagami-kun, be careful. Of everything."

"I'm not in love," Kagami muttered softly, more to himself than Kuroko's retreating back. He turned around and nearly rammed into someone. "Ah, sorry!"

A pair of brown eyes gazed at him, then flicked behind him. "What were you and Kuroko talking about?" Riko asked. "I've never seen him so…emotional before. Ah, well, I can't see where he went though. The guy just loves disappearing, doesn't he?"

Kagami swallowed. "Um, ah…no, just…girl trouble." He wasn't exactly _lying_ , just not telling the entire truth.

Riko raised a brow. "Girl trouble, huh? And where's Aomine?"

Kagami jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Taking care of the trouble."

Riko pursed her lips, but then just beckoned him to follow her. "Come with me. There's something I need to discuss with you, privately."

Kagami fiddled with the collar of his shirt, hoping against hope that it wasn't about him and Aomine. Honestly, they had just decided to date – or whatever the hell it was they were doing – yesterday, but he could never tell how advanced his boss's research network could be. As he made his way into her office and she closed the door behind him, she smirked.

"Kagami-kun, please stop looking like you're walking to your execution. I…I only need to talk to you about the purpose of this investigation," her voice tightened. "Please sit down."

They both seated themselves and Kagami was awash both relief and confusion. "The purpose of the investigation?" He remembered Takao's words. The little minx had probably been released that morning and Kagami had no clue when they would meet again, but Takao's last words to him had been to question the real purpose behind the investigation. So far, it seemed as though the operation was completely unnecessary. Why investigate the _absence_ of crimes?

Takao had mentioned the… _Syndicate_ , but Kagami had that memory locked up and chained in the deepest corners of his mind.

Riko seemed to see all these thoughts flit by in Kagami's eyes. She sighed, leaning forward. "Kagami-kun, I know why you joined the force."

Kagami swallowed. "W-what do you mean? Of course you know. You…you get my file and everything," his hands squeezed the armrests. "And what does that have to do with anything? I passed all my examinations, and I passed the psych tests, so I don't see why-"

"Kagami-kun, calm down," Riko's one was sharp and commanding. "I mentioned it because I have something important to tell you, but I won't if I think even the mention of it will give you a nervous breakdown and make you unfit for duty. Do you understand?"

Kagami took in a deep breath. He was a professional. He would act _professionally_. "Yes."

"Can I trust you?"

"Yes."

"Good," Riko relaxed back into her chair, fingers steepled in front of her. "I am sorry for my bluntness, but this is important. Around thirty years ago, a new crime syndicate was formed by a mutual understanding reached by the top three criminal heads of the Tokyo Underworld."

"The Kiseki Syndicate," Kagami muttered under his breath.

"Yes. We always had a list of suspects, but…we could never pinpoint the top three. It was one of the best examples of organised crime Tokyo had seen in a long time."

Kagami gritted his teeth. "I already know all of this. They had people everywhere, in all the top levels of everything! Politicians, actors, entrepreneurs, doctors, even the police. And they killed her. _They killed her_. And I will never forgive them."

Riko looked at him silently. "Around thirteen years ago," she continued without mentioning Kagami's outburst, "they started falling into discord. We don't know exactly how, but we think it was some kind of inner power struggle. Yet they continued their operations. Three years after that, well…I believe you know what happened. Bank robbery gone wrong. All the perpetrators escaped, but couldn't take a single yen with them. That was the final straw, we think," her eyes drifted to the window. "After that one failure, _whoosh_ , everything toppled like a house of cards. And we believed the Kiseki Syndicate was no more."

Kagami could feel his heart climb an inch into his throat at every word the woman spoke. "You _believed_?" his voice cracked.

"There's a pattern to this drop in criminal activity, Kagami-kun," Riko leaned forward and looked calmly into his eyes, eyes that were slowly dawning with the light of realisation and horror. "Thirty years ago, a drop in criminal activity occurred because the criminal heads were reigning in their operations and organising them. They quietened all their activities as a means to draw attention away from the pact that they were forming. Back then, it worked. Back then, the police force couldn't be more relieved at the drop in crime rates. They thought it was a blessing – a change in the way crime in Tokyo operated. They were right about the 'change' part," she smiled dryly.

"S-so you're saying…" Kagami's face paled. "How do you know so much? You must've been so young thirty years ago."

Riko's gaze dropped. He had never seen her break eye contact like that, almost regretfully. "My father. He was in the force when the Kiseki Syndicate rose. He was the officer in command of the bank robbery investigation, the one where your mother lost her life. And now he sits at the top, in one of the highest ranks in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He told me everything. About you. About the syndicate. He's the one who ordered this operation."

"Your father…?" Kagami's eyes hardened. "They never found her killer. _Your father_ never found her killer. He-"

"And he still feels guilty, to this day, even though he tried so hard," Riko snapped. "Which is why he doesn't want it happening again. He asked me to tell you all of this. The reason we are doing this. There aren't many we can trust, Kagami-kun. Only Imayoshi-san, a handful of others and I know all this. This operation…it might not exactly be in the books."

"Wait. _Not in the books?!_ You mean…"

"Unofficial."

"You mean, we aren't actually _allowed_ to do…this," he gestured vaguely around him. "And nobody thinks it's suspicious that one team of Homicide and Narcotics has teamed up?"

"We weren't originally supposed to team up," Riko admitted. _I don't think I'll tell him it was Aomine's idea though_ , she decided in her head. "But Imayoshi-san was already in on it, and he had told his team that they would be working on it simultaneously, only a bit more…undercover. I guess teaming up was more logical, since it gives us access to their resources and vice-versa. People see it as interdepartmental relationship management. It's not against the law, it's just not written anywhere."

"You said not many people know. So Kuroko doesn't know."

"No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"No. And you aren't either," Riko said sternly. "This is confidential information. I'm already worried that whoever is behind all this might have already gotten wind of what we're up to exactly. The more people know, the more risk there is."

Kagami's eyes narrowed at her words. "So you have no idea who's behind this? Didn't you say you have a list of suspects?" They could use that list to get a head start. He was surprised Riko hadn't told the whole team about it.

Riko bit her lip before taking her mobile out of her pocket. She flicked through it and handed it over. Kagami scanned the screen. It was a list of about twenty names.

Kagami's eyes flickered over it. _Shirogane…Hanamiya…Hayama…Furuhashi…Akashi…Haizaki…_

A couple of them stood out –rich company CEOs, media figures, and notorious gang leaders. His fingers clenched when he thought that one of these men were behind his mother's death. Riko pried her phone out of his hands with a look that was a mixture of anxiety and pity.

He didn't like it.

"I know some of these names," he said.

Riko nodded. "Yeah. Big names, but we've got nothing but circumstantial evidence on most of them. The biggest shock was Akashi Masaomi. He was the head of Akashi Enterprises, and the Japanese government uses most of their software. But he's dead, and he's been dead for a decade." She sighed. "Thank god his son's nothing like him; we met at a government conference, and he was such a promising gentleman."

Kagami frowned. "Alright. So one guy's dead. But you've got a list. What's the problem?" he demanded, slightly harshly.

"The list is the problem. All these names," she wiggled her phone. " _Everyone_ is either dead, or in prison, over the past thirty years."

"People can communicate out of prisons."

"I have Sakurai and Kuroko working on that, without giving them details, of course," she pocketed her phone. "One thing is for certain though, Kagami-kun," her eyes flashed with hidden anger. "The Kiseki Syndicate fell over ten years ago, but it's rising again. And I fear if we let it, this time, it's going to be more like a stone fortress then a sandcastle."

Kagami stood up, his crimson eyes burning with poorly hidden wrath. It was an emotion seldom seen on his face, and even made a headstrong woman like Riko supress a shiver. "It fell once. It will fall again." He turned around looked at her over his shoulder. "And Chief, it may not be my place to say this, but I want to be kept in the loop. I want to be given the _important_ assignments. Not any wild goose chases."

She smiled humourlessly. "I don't think I have the time nor luxury to send anyone after red herrings. Kagami," Riko added firmly as he placed a hand on the doorknob. "This is not a mission for vengeance. This is your _job_. Know the difference."

His crimson eyes shone. "Yes, ma'am." And with that, he slammed the door behind him.

Riko leaned her head against the back of her chair.

 _Well, Father. I told him just like you wanted. But was it really the right choice?_

* * *

 **Kinda sappy I know. I'm the queen of sap (ok that doesn't sound very appealing actually). But things are getting a bit serious (?) XD**  
 **Did Aomine hack Kagami's phone, or did he fail?**  
 **Will Kagami be able to separate his thirst for revenge from his sense of justice?**  
 **Does Momoi use strawberry flavoured perfume, or is that her natural smell?**  
 **Lol ok sorry I'll stop. Gentle constructive criticism welcome. 3**

 **In other news, one of my short stories is getting published in an anthology! You can check out the kickstarter project on my tumblr (theeventideabyss) if you're interested in finding out more. Get a paperback copy and have it shipped anywhere in the world for only $20 (AUD), so that's less than $15 for all my American readers! Also available in e-book format hehehe.**  
 **This is something super exciting for me! It's a small publication and I'm not getting paid, but it's a start. ;)**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: Request

**Warning: This chapter features a shooting range and guns. All shooting is done in a safe and controlled environment. No one gets hurt.**

 **Also, there's smut. Yay!**

 **And plot. Lots and lots of plot.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Request**

When Aomine saw Momoi step out of that office, he knew he was fucked.

Momoi was a prodigy in her own right – a sharp intelligence and unrivalled information gathering skills had made her the perfect candidate for working as a criminal profiler. She had spent the better part of the year training in Fukuoka, where she had apparently helped identify and track down many important criminal figures – an astounding feat for a beginner of her age.

And he knew she would be returning in December, it had always been there niggling in the back of his thoughts, but the last few months had been so busy that it had slipped his mind.

So seeing her walking out of that office, strawberry hair tied perfectly and suited up like a professional, he knew things were going to get harder than they already were. Momoi wasn't like the _rest of them_. She was smart, mature and _innocent_. Aomine had made sure she didn't get involved in the past, and now she was involved in one of the worst possible ways.

As he walked out of the precinct to follow the pouting woman, he could feel an oncoming headache and the faint burn of panic in his chest.

"Oi, Satsuki, please slow down. I need to talk."

Momoi turned around in her heels – _how do women even do that?_ – and planted her hands on her hips. "No, Dai-chan, _I_ need to talk to _you_." And Aomine knew that he wouldn't get a word in for at least the next ten minutes, so he walked over to Kagami's car and leaned against it. It was far away enough from the entrance to avoid any eavesdroppers. Momoi glanced at the Toyota with a quirked eyebrow. "That's not your car. Unless you got a new one."

"It's Kagami's," he replied thoughtlessly.

Momoi's face instantly brightened. " _Kagami Taiga_? The guy you had the hots for for years?" she grinned. "Oh my god, Dai-chan, I can't believe you didn't tell me! Congratulations! I want to see him. Is he here today? Wait…I remember you saying he was a redhead…" her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. She had an amazing knack for remembering faces and names, which helped her tremendously in her career. And that skill clearly showed itself when she placed a hand on her mouth and gasped. "No way. _That_ ripped hottie who was standing beside you? Holy shit, Dai-chan, you hit the _jackpot_."

Aomine's cheeks was reddening at her every word and he cradled his face in his hand. "Honestly, Satsuki. Yes, him. And we're partners, we aren't…well, we aren't _supposed_ to be dating."

"But you are?" she smirked. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I'm just happy to know there's someone taking care of your useless self." Her face grew stern. "But I need to make it clear that I won't have you interfering with my job. I don't care if you think it's weird or awkward working with me. I take my work very seriously, and I made sure to beg all my superiors so that they would assign me to Tetsu-kun's division." She smiled. "Aida-san told me about your curious little operation. Although it sounds a bit weird, I'm going to try my best. I guess I'm pretty happy that I can work beside Tetsu _and_ you. Oh, and your hot boyfriend."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Satsuki, you…you have to go someplace else."

She looked at him, confused. "Why?"

"You just have to. It's not safe," he gritted out.

She rolled her eyes. "Now look who's doing the smothering. I knew it was dangerous when I decided to join the force."

"Not like that," Aomine shook his head. How could he tell her in a way that she would understand? "It's just…it's just that…I don't want you to get hurt, I don't mean just physically. And the best way to avoid that is if you just transfer out. Just listen to me for once."

Momoi opened her mouth to retort but her pink eyes filled with realisation and dread. "This…does this have something to do with Akashi-kun? I…I knew something had changed in high school, but…is this…that thing you refused to tell me?"

Aomine swallowed, forcing a scowl. If he couldn't do it nicely, he'd just have to push her away for her protection. Like he'd done in high school. "Huh? What does Akashi have anything to do with this? I'm just saying that you're just going to be a hindrance to me and Tetsu. You'll need constant care, and we don't have the patience to be bossed around by _two_ annoying women. I'd rather-"

Aomine's next words were interrupted by a ringing in his ears and a sharp sting on his cheek.

"Did…did you just _slap_ me?"

"I know what you're doing," Momoi pouted, her eyes flashing anger rather than the hurt Aomine was hoping for. Hurt that would've driven her away. But Momoi had never been weak like that. "I'm not letting it happen again. This time, I'm here to make sure you don't get into trouble. I don't care what happened in the past, I'm going to make sure you don't do anything stupid in the future. Because that's something I _can_ change."

And with a huff and a flick of her head, she stalked back into the building. Aomine stared after her, warmed by her words and simultaneously worried by them.

"That makes her our enemy, in a sense."

His jumped at the voice, relaxing slightly when he saw Kuroko leaning against the other side of the car. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," Kuroko shrugged. "Aomine-kun, Momoi-san is a strong woman. Trust her."

"She's gonna figure it all out," Aomine absently traced his fingers on the edge of the car door.

"They all will, in the end."

"You sound confident," Aomine scoffed. His navy eyes met pale blue. "And you? How do you fit in all this? Akashi said you weren't being cooperative."

"He said you were quite the pain too, but we can't all be easy targets," Kuroko said. "But more importantly. Kagami-kun. If I find out you're playing with him, I'll be very angry."

Aomine supressed a shiver at the coldness in the words. "Tetsu. I'd never play with him. You now that." He looked down at his hands. "It's kinda impossible to avoid him, so I thought that I can protect him better if I get closer. And…I _want_ to get closer. I know that's selfish of me, but I…it's almost as if I can't control myself when it comes to him. I don't know how I lasted over five years like this." _Once I got a taste, I realised what I'd been missing. And now I can't get enough._ He snorted. "Listen to me. I sound like some sappy wimp from a romantic drama."

"You've always been selfish," Kuroko leaned his head against the car. "And you've always been a wimp."

"Hey!"

Kuroko eyebrows drew slightly together. "Has Kagami-kun…mentioned anything to you? Any leads?"

"No," Aomine looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"So it's a secret, huh? Kagami-kun needs to be more careful," the shorter man whispered under his breath.

Aomine frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Kuroko's lips twitched. "You know how Akashi-kun doesn't like it when we talk to each other about anything related to his…plans. Well, I have to go be a responsible worker, unlike some people," he muttered and walked around the car. "Take care of Kagami-kun. The only reason I haven't shot you is because I know you can make him very happy. But you can also cause him a lot of pain. Very few people have that power. Feel honoured."

And with that, he walked off.

Aomine sighed, checking his watch. _Better get started._

* * *

Kagami was panicking. Beyond panicking.

It wasn't there. _It wasn't there_. It was there yesterday! _Where did it go?!_

Kagami patted his jacket pockets for the umpteenth time, locking his car after scrambling through it searching for _his only lead_. And an _illegal_ lead at that!

After Kagami had spoken to Riko, he spent the morning perusing Takao's past files for any clues. The miscreant himself had been released the following morning, so Kagami hadn't seen him since that night. That led him to remember that he had a completely illegal bottle of heroin in his pocket.

And now it wasn't there.

"Fuck," he hissed.

"Something wrong, Kagami-kun?"

The redhead turned around to see his former partner lounging by his car. "Kuroko! What're you doing out here?"

"Sakurai-kun and I need to go back to Fuchu Prison for the afternoon," he replied offhandedly. "What's wrong?"

Kagami pursed his lips. "Ah, no. I just seem to have misplaced something." _Don't ask me_ what _because sorry Kuroko, this is something I can't tell you_.

Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "You are a clumsy oaf at the best of times. Remember that time when you were looking all over for your car keys but they were in your desk drawer all along?"

Kagami snorted at the memory. "Yeah, I turned the whole stationhouse upside down looking for them."

He smiled softly. "Sometimes what you're looking for is always right under your nose, but you never see it." He waved at Kagami. "Well, I need to be off, but let me know if I can do anything. I'll always be here to help."

Kagami grinned. "Yeah, same here, Kuroko. Thanks."

The second Kuroko turned his back, Kagami tried to nonchalantly return to his desk. His heart was hammering in his chest. He hadn't checked his desk drawers yet, because he had been _so sure_ that he had pocketed that vial of powder. It didn't hurt to check, but he severely doubted it was there.

When he pulled the drawer open, a familiar plastic cylinder with a yellow lid rolled and clanked against the wooden walls.

Kagami's mouth went dry.

 _Could…could it have been Kuroko?_ Kagami shook his head. If Kuroko found a vial of heroin lying around, he would have brought it to Riko, not him. Then did Kagami himself put it in his drawer after interrogating Takao?

Kagami massaged his forehead. The days had become a blur. He couldn't remember everything he had done. But if anyone found this beauty lying around in his belongings, he would be asked questions he didn't have the answers for. He discreetly picked up the bottle and shoved it in an inner pocket. It would be harder to fall out now.

He'd have to deal with it when he got home. Kagami was half inclined to ask Aomine, he specialised in drugs after all, but didn't want it to seem suspicious. He'd have to try by himself first. He needed to get to the bottom of this Kiseki mess. For his mother. For himself.

And so the days passed on, with no luck. The week was slowly ending, and Riko was _not_ looking happy with their lack of progress.

Tracking Takao down was proving to be surprisingly hard. That bottle provided no clues Kagami could use, and he was at the end of his rope. But…there was one incident from early last year that stood out. Takao had been providing information on a small-time gang involved in multiple homicides, and they found him meeting up with Kagami. Takao had gotten shot, but ran away before Kagami could force him into a hospital. However, no hospitals had alerted him to any gunshot injuries, which could only mean that Takao had been treated secretly. All gang members had been arrested, so that was another dead-end. The phantom doctor that would have treated Takao was the only lead. And Kagami had gotten nowhere with it.

Kuroko seemed to have disappeared too. It seemed as though he was always running errands with Sakurai all over the city.

The new addition, Momoi, was constantly pouring over documents with Imayoshi and Riko, pink eyes scanning and calculating. In Kagami's opinion, she seemed to be assessing the team members too, given by the way those eyes bore into him sometimes.

Surprisingly, Aomine seemed to be helping the other members of his team. He'd even been in Riko's office a couple of times, but the first time he'd visited, she hadn't been in. It was sign when the shutters were drawn that she was somewhere else. Aomine had seemed to have spent quite some time in there alone, maybe waiting for her, but Kagami had other things to worry about and hadn't paid it much thought.

* * *

"How's it going with Aomine-kun?" Imayoshi asked with his feline grin, looming on top of Kagami's monitor.

Kagami hurriedly closed the window and stood up. _That was a close call_ , he thought to himself while smiling at his superior. He had been tracking down all local heroin dealers in hopes of finding a lead, but they seemed to have gone so deep underground that not a trace remained.

Whoever the kingpin of this operation was, they was doing a damn fine job of covering their tracks.

Kagami cleared his throat. "Well…the usual. Arguing. I honestly don't understand why I was paired up with him," he admitted. _Although I guess I'm glad I was._

Imayoshi snorted. "Aomine's a bit of a problem child, and you're the station's goody two-shoes, so you can keep him in line."

"So I'm his babysitter? Wouldn't Kuroko have been a better choice?"

Imayoshi shrugged. "Aida-san and I wanted it to work both ways. Aomine's a diamond in the rough, and you're too uptight. He might teach you that sometimes, it's okay to bend the rules. Just don't break them."

Kagami felt words fall out before he could stop them. "Like how you and Chief are breaking the law by carrying out this investigation? She told me everything. _Off the books_."

Imayoshi didn't seem fazed at Kagami's knowledge, which unsettled Kagami even more. Just how much had those two planned together? " _Bending_ the law," he smirked. "I'm sure you'll learn much from each other."

"I've learned plenty," Kagami mumbled to himself.

Imayoshi patted him on the back. "Stressed? Why don't you go clock a few hours at our shooting range down the road? It doesn't see much use anyway."

Kagami quirked an eyebrow. Was Imayoshi being… _thoughtful_?

"It's Susa's shift, and he informed me it's all empty right now. I'm sure he'll let you have the whole place to yourself for some quality time," Imayoshi winked. Kagami shook off any feelings of suspicion with a shrug and decided to follow his superior's suggestion.

* * *

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

The faint smell of smoke tickled Kagami's nose, and the weight of the gun felt strangely comforting in his grip. His muscles strained against the recoil, both hands gripping the cool metal tightly.

Strange how something he hated so much could make him feel so much better.

Flicking the safety catch, he put the gun down. He pressed the buzzer beside him and the target before him rumbled forwards, hanging in tatters. A few of his shots had missed. The torso was riddled with a couple of holes, but the oval outlines for the head were completely unscathed. He weighed the gun in his hand and scowled.

He wasn't really concentrating anyway.

He removed the earmuffs and was removing his glasses when he heard someone enter. He looked up to see a familiar face.

"Why are you here?" Kagami asked.

Aomine eyes glanced at Kagami's decimated target. "The same reason we all come here."

"To practice?"

"To release stress." Aomine placed the case he was holding on the ground and popped it open. "Imayoshi said we weren't spending enough time together. Looks like he thought we needed to bond more."

Kagami rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Because you don't need any more practice, do you, Mr. Perfect Shot."

Aomine grinned at the remark, indicating Kagami's target with a tip of his head. "Looks like I could give you a few pointers, _Kagami_."

That voice should definitely be illegal. Kagami was going to file a report for it one day. One day.

"I don't need your help," Kagami muttered but didn't complain when Aomine put on his safety gear and approached him while he pinned up a new target. He pressed the buzzer again and put his earmuffs back on along with the glasses. Picking up his weapon and aiming down the range, he tensed when he felt two hands place themselves on his hips and warm breath ghost softly against the nape of his neck. Aomine's thumbs rubbed soothing circles into Kagami's back, and the redhead relaxed. Kagami was pleasantly surprised at the intimacy, unfamiliar but not uncomfortable, and certainly not unwelcome.

"A Desert Eagle, Kagami? Is that a personal favourite or something?" Aomine murmured directly beside Kagami's ear, loud enough to be heard through the earmuffs. It wasn't very good for Kagami's grip because his palms suddenly got sweaty.

"Well, we shouldn't be using these monsters out of the shooting range, but it's a good skill to be used to all types. Just in case," he mumbled, too aware of the close proximity of Aomine's lips to his skin. "I'm…not too fond of guns," he said a little louder. He pulled the trigger, his body pushing against Aomine's due to the recoil.

 _Bang_. Missed. A little more to the left.

Aomine hummed, his hands caressing Kagami's sides. "Is that so? You've got one at home though. A Glock. Is it registered?"

Kagami shrugged as Aomine's hands travelled upwards and rubbed the tension from his shoulders. Kagami felt his aim was a little shaky. "What do you think?"

 _Bang._ Another miss. Too much to the left.

He could feel Aomine's lips press gently beneath his ear. "I think that you definitely aren't the angel everyone keeps saying you are."

"Well, I think you definitely _are_ the asshole everyone keeps saying you are," Kagami retorted, scrunching his nose in an effort to appear annoyed and not aroused by Aomine's breath.

 _Bang._ Shoulder hit.

Aomine's chest pressed up against his back as his hands snaked down Kagami's arms. Kagami tried very hard to ignore the feeling of Aomine's crotch against his lower back. He was failing pretty badly.

"So, you found anything useful on your CI?" Aomine asked as his hands curled around Kagami's.

 _His hands are warm_ , Kagami thought. "Not much. What have you been up to?"

"Wakamatsu's been chasing up some old Narco buddies for drug info. I've been helping him pull some strings, but they're all pretty quiet," Aomine said, his voice a little distracted. "Maybe we should…"

Kagami tilted his head slightly to glance at Aomine, and met a pair of dark eyes that seemed to bore straight into him. He felt Aomine's hands tighten on his. "Work together? Don't worry. We'll nail those bastards." Kagami looked back into those eyes, tried to decipher the emotions in them, as he felt his finger being gently pressured.

He pulled the trigger.

Headshot.

Not that Kagami saw it, since Aomine was too busy kissing him. Kagami's grip slackened as Aomine took the gun from him and instinctively flicked the safety on before placing it on the counter before them. Aomine pulled back long enough to remove their glasses, and then their mouths were sealed once more. Kagami plucked their earmuffs off and tossed them to the floor, gripping Aomine's shirt and pulling him closer. They stumbled backwards until Aomine's back hit the bulletproof glass behind them.

It had been about three days since they'd properly seen each other.

 _Dear god_ he had missed the smell of Aomine's cologne. Missed the wetness of his tongue. He realised it again, when Aomine's fingers rubbed his back and stomach, that he _craved_ the other man. It wasn't like a small crush, or a fleeting attraction. He needed Aomine's touch like he needed water.

Aomine wasn't exactly any different. He nibbled Kagami's bottom lip before coaxing Kagami's tongue into his mouth, his fingers roaming over the cool skin of Kagami's lower back. They moved lower and lower…slipping past Kagami's belt before the other released his grip on Aomine's locks to hold his arms.

Lusty red eyes blinked up into hazy blue ones.

"I'll do it this time," Kagami rasped, lips swollen and cheeks red. His hands shook as he undid Aomine's belt and Aomine gripped Kagami's wrist.

"You don't have to," he said, biting his lip.

Kagami looked somewhat offended. "I want to!"

"I…I don't have any condoms."

Kagami averted his gaze. "I know that! Now shut up and let me do it."

Aomine's mouth dropped as Kagami kneeled in front of him. "A-are you-" his words choked off when Kagami pulled his pants down and looked straight at his dick. Kagami's face coloured but before Aomine could ask him to stop, his mouth covered the tip. Aomine rammed his head against the glass as he felt the wet heat. " _FUCK._ "

He could _feel_ Kagami smile. He could feel a lot of things. Kagami's silky cheeks, slightly rough tongue, the light grazing of his teeth. His toes curled in his shoes as his fingers curled in soft cerise strands. Kagami's tongue was magical. It was slightly hesitant, exploring almost shyly, pushing with teasing pressure before he relaxed his jaw and took Aomine's even deeper. Aomine's eyes fluttered at the feeling of Kagami's throat constricting around him. This definitely wasn't Kagami's first blowjob, and that pissed Aomine enough for him to accidentally thrust into Kagami's mouth as an irrational act of possession. Kagami's nails dug into Aomine's hips as he pulled away slightly, gagging faintly.

The image of Kagami's lips around him, his saliva and Aomine's pre-cum dripping down his chin as he looked up with pupils blown wide, slight indignation flickering in his gaze, was too much for Aomine. Aomine rolled his hips, groaning as his sensitive spots rubbed against Kagami's tongue.

Kagami gasped at the sensations. He could feel the strain against his jeans. Aomine's length was _in his mouth_. That thought was enough to get him feeling hot. He loved how Aomine guided his head with fingers massaging his scalp, he loved the little twitches and shivers he felt in his mouth, he loved the erotic sounds they were both making. He wasn't an expert at… _this_ …but he always applied food logic, and it seemed to work. He wasn't sure how Aomine would react to knowing that.

He tongued the slit, and the only warning he got was a strangled " _Kagami_ " before he found himself swallowing most of Aomine's cum. He coughed a little as he drew back, licking his lips and grimacing slightly before looking up to see Aomine staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and wonder.

"What?" his voice sounded slightly defensive and tired, and a bit hoarse. Also aroused. _Really_ aroused.

"You swallowed it?"

Kagami blushed. "There wasn't really another choice."

"That…was actually really fucking hot."

Kagami squirmed under his heated gaze, all too aware of his own erection. Aomine zipped up his pants and pulled Kagami to his feet. He licked at Kagami's chin and lips, ignoring the fact that he was tasting a bit of himself as he slammed Kagami against the wall, feeling hands grip his arms and hips rut against his.

"Need a little help yourself?" he whispered, palming Kagami's erection.

" _Ahhh…_ I swear, if you make me come in my pants again, I'm going to kill you," Kagami bit Aomine's ear and Aomine laughed. Before he could respond, a voice crackled from the speakers.

"Uhm, Kagami, Aomine. The…uh, Chief is here to see you. Please…uh, make sure you clean up- I mean pack up! Make sure you pack up before you get here!"

Aomine and Kagami were frozen in place, Aomine's hands on Kagami's ass and Kagami's nails raking down Aomine's back. They looked at each other before they tore themselves apart.

"Shit, shit, shit," Kagami fell to the floor and scrambled around for their safety gear. "How did we forget about the camera?!"

Aomine shrugged. "It's just Susa," he muttered, but his cheeks were dusted pink and he wasn't meeting Kagami's eyes. He packed away the weapons and held the cases. "I'm sure he turned the camera off or something."

"Because who wants to watch two six-foot-something guys make out right?" Kagami grumbled as he opened the inner door. He sincerely hoped Chief hadn't seen anything, or wasn't here for the reason that she suspected something. In fact, he hoped Susa hadn't seen anything either. He would never be able to look at the guy in the eyes again.

They went through the two safety doors and stumbled out. Kagami had taken off his coat and was holding it in front of him to hide his _lower problem_ which was quickly dying due to the anxiety that burned in his stomach. He was also way too hot and sweaty to be wearing it right now.

Susa was sitting down behind the counter, the screen of the security camera monitor noticeably _off._ The skin of his cheeks was slightly pink, but he looked more annoyed than embarrassed. "I knew it when Imayoshi called me to tell me you two were coming. I knew something was up with him," he was muttering to himself. When his eyes met Kagami's, he gave a small smile. "Ah, don't worry. I turned it off when he was helping you shoot. I don't know anything." He held up a hand before Kagami could say anything. "I don't _want_ to know anything. As long as the place is left like it was when you arrived."

Aomine was rubbing the back of his head as he returned the cases.

Susa shot him a look. "Chief is waiting outside. She said it's urgent."

They walked out to see Riko tapping her foot impatiently. "About time!" she snapped.

"You could've called," Aomine drawled. "Ma'am," he tacked on when she glared at him.

"I wanted to tell you face to face," her posture relaxed. "Sorry, I'm a bit stressed. I need to give you something." She reached into her formal jacket and drew out a golden envelope. Kagami took it, sharing a glance with Aomine. "Just open it."

He did just that, extracting two gold and red letters. " _You have been invited to attend the fiftieth annual fundraising gala, hosted this year by two-time Japan Academy Prize Winner Kise Ryouta, in order to raise funds for the natural disaster victims of the world_ ," he recited, confused by every word. He glanced at Aomine, but the other's face had gone slack, eyes wide. "Aomine?"

Aomine turned to Riko. "You've…been invited to that gala?" he stumbled a little, but his expression had shifted from shocked to mildly curious in seconds.

"Not me," Riko grinned slowly. "You. Both of you. At least, you're the ones going." At their blank looks, her voice dropped before she elaborated. "We got an anonymous tip, pointing to this event. Apparently, this gala is going to be a _goldmine_ of information, if you manage to snag the right people. My father managed to call in some favours," she sniffed almost proudly, "and we got two tickets. So I'm sending you two into the fray."

 _You wanted to be in the thick of it, there you go,_ she mentally directed at Kagami and he understood the meaning behind her spoken words.

"So we're going to some Friday night party?" he clarified, astonished. "Are you serious?"

"You'll need clothes for the job, so if you don't have anything – and I doubt you do – I'll get Momoi-san to fix you up," Riko was still grinning. "It's tomorrow night. No one will know you're police, and that's good because people aren't very open to police. You'll be going as voice actors."

"People aren't exactly open to voice actors," Aomine snorted.

"You're both charming I'm sure the right words, and the right looks, will get everyone spilling their secrets for you," she winked. "Keep the invites, you need those to get in. Kagami, your name is Ono Yuuki and Aomine, you'll be Suwabe Junichi. Aomine, you've been undercover before, so I'll be counting on you to show Kagami the ropes."

Kagami didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Aomine's face looked like he had sucked a lemon.

"Enjoy your first date," Riko winked, and walked off to let them suffer in peace.

* * *

 **Let me just say, that was the most graphic smut I've ever written in my life. So I'm sorry if it sucked! Please forgive me. Hopefully I'll get a lot of smut practice in this fic lololol. This fic is almost certainly going to be more than 15 chapters. I hope you don't mind. XD** **Also plot! Lots of plot! And yes, we will have the golden child make his awaited appearance in the next chapter. ;)**

 **Which might take some time because no matter how hard I try, the chapters just keep getting longer. This one's nearly 5000 words! Honestly.** **Next chapter will also some scenes from someone else's perspective. But I won't say too much.** **And yes, their aliases are their voice actor names. Sorry not sorry.**

 **Also, uni work is eating me up. At least a major assignment AND a test EVERY week until mid-November, when I have glorious finals *shivers*. So please excuse any slightly late updates.** **Writing is an amazing way of relieving my stress, and you guys have made writing an absolute pleasure for me. Any kudos/subscribes/likes/reblogs/favourites/follows/comments whatever make me so happy since I know other people enjoy something I absolutely love doing. I just wanted to thank all of you. :) Your comments are my lifeblood and your support keeps me going! Long note but whatevs. Thank you. :D**


	6. Chapter 6: Reunion

**Okay this was…this was unplanned. I spent the whole day writing this. I can't believe it. But it's here…so I hope you enjoy it! It's horribly unedited, so let me know of any mistakes/inconsistencies.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Reunion**

"Takao."

Grey eyes flitted to the tall figure in the doorway. The smaller man, dressed in nurse scrubs, looked over his clipboard and grinned at the irritated man in front of him.

"Where is it?"

Takao raised a brow, scribbling notes on the chart in his hands. "Where's what? Oh, your daily charm?" he chuckled. "Only _you_ could lose a rainbow abacus in a _hospital_. Have you checked the children's ward? Maybe they thought it was a toy-"

"That's not what I'm talking about." A hand gripped the clipboard and pulled it down so that Takao could see green eyes blazing at him, assessing. " _Where is it?_ "

"Where's _what_ , Shin-chan?"

"Please call me Doctor Midorima when we are working," _Shin-chan_ scowled, looking over his shoulder at the door of the hospital room before leaning in closer to Takao. "Ten grams were missing," he hissed. "I told the buyers I needed some for medical purposes, and paid for it. But I didn't. And the only other person in this entire hospital that knows about this is _you_."

"You gotta trust me more," Takao shrugged, but broke his gaze.

Midorima's eyes narrowed further, but there was a pained light in them. "You told me you were clean, Takao! You told me you never used!"

Takao frowned. "I didn't!"

" _Then where is it?!_ " Midorima snapped, raking a hand through his grassy hair. "If someone found it, if someone used it in this hospital…I don't want my patients affected!"

"So _now_ you're acting like a Chief Surgeon? That's rich!" Takao huffed. "So you don't care about the people you're selling it to?"

"Who I'm selling it to…Akashi has it under control! I'm..." Midorima gritted his teeth. "I don't want to do this. But I have to."

Takao bit his lip. "Fine. I took it."

The doctor's shoulders slumped. He was relieved it hadn't been lost but angry, and disappointed, that Takao would do such a thing. "Why?"

 _Well, I can't exactly tell you who I gave it to_ , Takao thought bitterly. "I wanted to try it. But I changed my mind before I did anything, and flushed it down the toilet," he lied instead.

Midorima looked at him suspiciously, worriedly.

Takao held out an arm. "Test me if you need to. I'm clean. I swear," he added, gently.

The doctor pushed his hand away. "I believe you."

Takao's chest hurt at the declaration, the plain words of trust.

Midorima continued. "I believe you, Takao. You're the only person I trust, with everything. I trusted you to tell me when you met up with Kagami, so I could shoot near him and send a clear message to Aomine to remind him who was in power. And you know who's in power." Midorima's expression shuttered and he turned around. "Akashi. Akashi controls everything. He controls me, and by extension he controls you. I don't like it, but that's how it is. That's how it's always been."

And with that he left.

"It doesn't have to _continue_ being that way," Takao whispered to the empty room. He looked out the window, up at the clear blue sky and the warm sun.

 _Come on Kagami. Hurry up._

 _Find us._

 _Save us._

* * *

"This is such a bad idea," Kagami muttered as a crimson tie fell on his head.

"There's more where that came from, so hurry up!" Momoi's sweet voice chirped from the other side of the changing room curtain.

"I think I've tried enough ties already," Kagami sighed, pulling a purple striped one off and pressing the new deep red one against the dark grey of his dress shirt. "Hey, this one doesn't look half bad," he mused to himself.

"Really?" Momoi squealed. "Let me see!"

"Hey, hey wait!" Kagami hastily grabbed the curtain to keep it closed. "Stop, Momoi-san, I'm not wearing any pants!"

"Oi Satsuki, stop being a peeping tom," Aomine's gruff remark was followed by the clattering sound of a curtain being drawn back.

Momoi let out a breath. "It's not every day you get to see a great body. But fine, I won't ogle your boyfriend."

Kagami groaned mentally, securing the near-black pants with a silver buckled leather belt and shrugging on the matching suit jacket. "I wish you wouldn't talk as though I weren't here," he said, stepping out from behind the curtain and into the hallway where all the changing rooms converged. Momoi stood in her dress suit, eyes scanning his getup, an approving smile on her face. Kagami's gaze drifted to Aomine.

Aomine in a suit.

The last time Kagami had seen Aomine in a suit was the evening party after the Academy graduation, and that had been a simple black tux. Aomine had looked great in it, of course, but _today_ …

Aomine had his brows raised in obvious appreciation, a hungry glint in his eyes. Kagami was too busy staring at what the other was wearing to notice.

A deep blue suit, a few shades darker than his hair, covered the crisp white shirt underneath. An elegant silver striped tie hung around his neck. It was classy, with the right amount of evening sophistication and business.

Kagami was trying very hard not to look impressed.

Aomine's smile slowly morphed into a frown. "I don't like it."

Momoi scrunched her eyebrows. "Why? He looks downright sexy!"

"He looks like a fucking _host_!"

"That's the _point_ , Dai-chan!"

"But _I_ don't look like a host!"

Momoi rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to attract the more serious types. You've got _some_ experience in infiltration, so you'd be more believable acting as a man interested in business. Kagamin is going to go after the ladies with his natural charm."

Aomine scowled. " _He's_ going after the ladies?! How does that make any sense? I'm more suited for something like that! Kagami isn't even _interested_ in women!"

"Ladies are just going to think you're good for a one night stand, nothing serious," Momoi explained brutally. "They won't talk to you about serious things, let alone _trust_ you. Kagamin has that angelic and trustworthy feeling about him. Anyone would tell him anything! You _want_ to talk to him and confide in him!"

"Can you please stop talking like I'm not here?" Kagami sighed. "Also, _Kagamin_?"

"It's because you're cute," Momoi said offhandedly. "Any other questions? You should leave soon if you expect to be there on time. Oh, I forgot something," Momoi started rummaging in her bag.

"You're sounding bossier than usual," Aomine rolled his eyes.

Momoi lifted her hand and sprayed something directly in the face. As he coughed and spluttered, she sprayed more of the cologne on his suit, handing it to Kagami so he could apply some as well.

She grinned. "Ready?"

Aomine and Kagami exchanged glances. Kagami adjusted his tie and Aomine pulled his sleeves straight.

Kagami's red eyes blazed. _Finally. Some action_. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Lights. Crowds. Noise.

The entire street was packed with luxury cars and limos. Mobs of people were held back by tapes and security guards as they screamed when every new celebrity, sports star and model stepped out onto the path leading to the grand event hall situated at the top of a low rise hill. Kagami peered out the black tinted limousine with some interest and a lot of apprehension. He'd never been to a fancy event, let alone one full of famous figureheads. He also wondered how much it had cost the precinct to rent such a fancy car. The driver was Imayoshi, whose squinty eyes winked at them from the rear-view mirror as they approached the entrance. Kagami felt a hand on his own and he turned to his left, surprised.

Aomine smiled at him and gently squeezing his hand in a rare show of comfort. "Relax. You're supposed to be a voice actor!"

"One that nobody's ever heard of or seen before," Kagami muttered. "I don't even know how to act around these people. Do we actually lift our pinkie when we have a glass in our hands?"

Aomine snorted. "What? Where'd you hear that?"

Kagami shrugged.

"We're here, boys," Imayoshi chuckled, parking in front of the carpet. "Get out there and make us all proud."

Kagami took a deep breath and opened the door. He was promptly blinded by flashing lights, but he held a hand in front of his face and stalked to the entrance. Aomine trailed behind, flashing a grin to the cameras before meeting Kagami at the top of the stairs, handing his invitation to the guard.

"Sure enjoying the attention, aren't you?" Kagami muttered.

Aomine placed a hand on his upper back and pushed him in. "I'm just trying to direct it away from you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Kagami rolled his eyes, but his gaze stuck on the ceiling of the domed hall, high above him.

It was _huge_.

Windows at the ceiling showed a small sprinkle of stars, and the intricate designs on the bannisters and marble columns were beautiful. The domed hall they were in seemed to be the main event area, with hallways leading off to the sides, and stairs curving up and away into hidden areas upstairs. The curved stage in front was closed off with heavy red drapes, and round tables had been placed thoughtfully over the tiled floor. There even seemed to be a garden out the back for outside functions.

"This is supposed to be a fundraiser, right?" Kagami breathed. "I think most of the money raised will go to renting this place! It's like a palace!"

"It would have, except Akashi owns it." The words left Aomine's mouth before he could stop himself.

Kagami's head jerked to look at Aomine. "Uh, sorry, what?"

Aomine looked a bit taken aback, then shook his head and shot Kagami a grin. "Nothing. I'll leave you here, I…need to go find someone." And with no further explanation, he ducked out of sight, mingling with the other people in suits and gowns.

Kagami pressed his lips together. _What now?_ He had a feeling that this wasn't some wild goose chase. That there was _something_ here for him to find. But what was it?

He'd brought the bottle of heroin with him, tucked in his jacket pocket. Chances of that anonymous tip being Takao were low. The man didn't like being involved more than necessary, and Kagami believed him when he had said that there would be no more help form his side. But there was a chance it was. And Kagami was going to take.

"Taiga?"

Kagami jumped at the familiar female voice, turning around to see a busty blonde twirling a glass of champagne in her hand, green eyes twinkling with amusement. Kagami's mouth dropped open.

"It _is_ you! What are you doing here? Aren't you with the force? And you're looking absolutely delectable. Love the tie."

The accented English jarred Kagami back. "What the _actual fuck_?" he hissed. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Because the gorgeous woman in front of him was no other than his basketball coach from America, the one and only Alexandra Garcia.

* * *

Aomine wove through the crowd, eyes scanning for a head of unmistakable blond hair. Nobody here but Kise knew him, so this was as close as he was going to get to a perfect opportunity to talk to him in private, _not_ under Akashi's constant surveillance. It was true Akashi owned the hall, but he doubted Akashi would have his own men here. And even if he did, Aomine was sure no one knew him. But the main problem was getting Kise alone.

A flash of blond caught his attention, and his face slackened as he saw Kagami, talking with a woman who was clearly a foreigner and very high on the…attractive scale. She was also very close to Kagami, grabbing his elbow and grinning up at him, handing him _her_ glass.

Aomine squashed the feeling of jealously that clenched his stomach. He wished he could go up there are tear that delicate hand off of _his_ man. _Stop being a fucking retard_ , he scolded himself. _Kagami is just doing his job as a…host. Now you go do yours._ He continued his search, feeling more determined to finish it quickly just so he could go back and show that woman exactly _who_ she was touching so blatantly.

There were security guards, dressed in inconspicuous black suits just like the waiters, save for the earpieces. Kise probably had one or two flanking him at all times, but that just made it easier to spot the celebrity. Aomine made his way forward, towards where the blond was shaking hands with people Aomine couldn't care less about.

As he approached, a man suddenly stepped in his way. He was about a head shorter – few people were taller than Aomine, including names he didn't wish to mention – but he glared with sharp grey-blue eyes at Aomine like Aomine was the embodiment of personal insult.

He was also dressed in security black.

"May I help you?" Aomine asked, eyes flitting over the man's head to look at Kise. The idiot hadn't noticed him yet, talking to another woman about how the day's program was going to be ' _absolutely stunning'_.

"Yeah," the man snorted, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "You were stalking towards my client like you had a bone to pick."

"Your client…?" Aomine saw the badge on the man's coat. _Kasamatsu Yukio – Kaijou Security Services_. Aomine tried to give his most innocent smile. "No, nothing like that. I just wanted to meet him."

The man – Kasamatsu – lifted a thick eyebrow in absolute distrust. "With a face like that, I think you'd punch him before you'd talk to him." He heaved a sigh. "Don't blame you though. A lot of people want to punch him. I wouldn't mind getting a kick in myself," he muttered offhandedly. "But it's my job to make sure that _doesn't_ happen. Oh the irony."

Aomine smirked. "Yeah, he can get pretty irritating. He wouldn't stop following me around all throughout middle school."

Kasamatsu chuckled dryly. "Don't I know the feeling. I was actually his senior in self-defence classes a few years back, and he wouldn't stop acting like a puppy, even after I tried kicking some sense into him. Literally. Now I'm hired to guard his ass."

Aomine smiled, genuinely this time. The guy wasn't half bad, except for the fact that he was still blocking Aomine's path. "So listen, I really need to see-"

"Senpai!" a voice called, and Kise came walking over, a smile on his face. "Who are you talking to-" His grin dissolved just as fast as it had appeared as his golden eyes met Aomine's.

"Stop calling me your fucking senpai, Kise. I'm working for you now," Kasamatsu grumbled, although his language and tone of voice couldn't be farther from a subordinate to his boss. "This guy says he knows you from school."

" _Suwabe Junichi_ ," Aomine held out his hand, stressing the name. "From your basketball team…remember?"

* * *

Kagami was dreaming. _Please_ let him be dreaming.

"Is this how you greet me, Taiga?" Alex leaned on his shoulder, her rose red lips pulling into a smile. "I was going to drop by your apartment after this whole shindig anyway. My flight landed this morning. Can you believe I had to cross the Pacific for – what is this even, Perrier-Jouët?" she scrunched her nose at her champagne. "At least serve me some Moët & Chandon, Japan. Here try it."

Kagami took the glass from her hand, and also took in a deep breath. "Just wait a minute. Why are you here?"

Alex looked at him like he had grown another head. "I've told you time and time again, Taiga! I help out charities. Don't you know women like men who _listen_? No wonder you can never get a girlfriend."

"I've never gotten a girlfriend because I'm _gay_ ," Kagami muttered under his breath.

Alex giggled. "I know, I'm just messing with you. I'm here as the US representative, though to be honest I hadn't even heard of this organisation before. Japan Natural Disaster Relief or something? Looks like they wanted a Red Cross contact," she snorted. "I have to give a fucking speech and everything." She took the glass back and downed it. "Waiter, another!" her eyes turned to him. "So what are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm undercover as a voice actor," Kagami explained in hushed English. He trusted Alex, just not anyone around them. "We got an anonymous tip about this event, so I'm here with my partner to see what's going on."

Alex pursed her lips. She didn't seem surprised. "I've been feeling like something is a little off too, to be honest. I've been chatting up some people here and they…seem strangely tight lipped." She shrugged. "I might be overthinking it, but this whole atmosphere seems a bit… _fake_ to me."

"They're actors, their job is to be fake but look real while doing it," Kagami countered. "And if it was fake they wouldn't have invited you."

Alex hummed noncommittally. "Yeah, but that's a good cover, isn't it? So they have a real operation under another one. Sounds dangerously exciting," her teeth flashed. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some people. Maybe you can use your natural charm to get some answers outta them."

"Why do people always go on about my natural charm? I think you're just imaging it," he complained, but followed her nonetheless.

 _Looks like we're on to something._

* * *

Kise's mouth was opening and closing, but he was speechless. Must've been magic. He cleared his throat and shook Aomine's hand, grip a bit tight for comfort. "Oh yes! Of course. I'm sorry if Senpai was a bit aggressive, he does that sometimes," Kise smiled, and it looked so natural even Aomine was nearly fooled. Nearly. "What are you doing here…Suwabe-kun?"

 _Thank fuck for Kise's acting abilities_ , Aomine thought. "Oh, well, since both of us are here, I just wanted to _catch up_."

"Well, it's been years, true," Kise nodded. "But there have been _reasons_ for that. Is the conversation urgent?"

"Yeah, pretty urgent," Aomine looked him straight in the eyes. " _Red_ hot urgent."

Kasamatsu was looking at the two strangely. "You guys speaking in code or something?"

Kise frowned at him, confused. "Senpai, what are you on about? What code?"

"For an actor, your acting sure is shit," Kasamatsu snorted. He held up his hands before Kise could rebuke. "My job is to protect you, what you talk about is not my concern." He pressed his lips together. "But if you really want privacy, my boys found a couple of empty rooms at the back when we scoped the place out." He jerked his head down one of the hallways. "We'll will be patrolling like usual, so do what you want." With a curt nod, he stepped aside.

Kise deflated a little. "Thanks for understanding, Senpai," he whispered, and Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, lips twitching.

"Get out of here, just be in time for the events. You're supposed to be hosting them," he mumbled. "And stay safe or I'll kick your ass."

Aomine followed Kise as they discreetly slipped past a roped off hallway. "He sure doesn't _talk_ like a bodyguard."

"Senpai shows affection in mysterious ways," Kise replied as they walked down the hallway. It seemed to curve back and behind the stage, with doors leading off to storage or changing rooms. Kise opened one and let Aomine through before closing it behind him, flicking the lights on. He turned to face him, golden eyes blazing. "What's going on, Aominecchi?"

"Still calling me that, huh?" Aomine snorted, leaning against a wall. The room was empty, save for a few cupboards that were probably used to store props, and a mirror that covered a whole wall.

"Well, I still respect you, although I don't exactly respect our…work," Kise gritted his teeth. "What are you doing here? Akashicchi told us specifically to stay away from each other."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Of course I know that. And you know why." He stepped closer to Kise. "It's because we all know little bits and pieces of his plan. If we all talk to each other, maybe we can piece it together. Like a puzzle. Alone, we're powerless. But if we work together, we can…" he broke off.

Kise was silent.

"We can what?"

The words were soft, delicate, like a sliver of an idea that could be easily crushed. Aomine opened his mouth to answer when his phone went off. He cursed the interruption, pulling it out. His mouth went dry. Motioning to Kise to be quiet, he picked up.

"What do you want now, Akashi?"

"The same thing I wanted last time, Daiki," Akashi's voice was muffled, and there were sounds of chatter in the background. Maybe music. "Hacking into Kagami Taiga's phone. You haven't done it yet."

Aomine sighed. He couldn't have kept it off for long, he knew that. He was surprised it took this long for Akashi to notice. "I didn't know the password."

"You don't need one to download the application," he replied, voice irritated. "Can't any of you do as you're told?"

"Not the download, his phone. It was locked."

Akashi was silent. "Is it a word?"

"Uh no, four numbers. Why?"

There was a noise on the other end that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. "Alright. Try zero-three-one-five."

Aomine frowned. "Why?"

"Just get it done," he snapped. "At least you succeeded in bugging Aida's office. That has been somewhat useful. Don't disappoint me again." With those kind words, he disconnected.

Kise let out a deep breath when Aomine pocketed the phone. "That had nothing to do with me, right?"

Aomine pressed his lips together. "Nothing. Strange, since Akashi should technically know where I am at all times, if he wants to. But he didn't even mention the gala."

Kise rolled his eyes. "He's the head of one of Japan's richest tech companies. He owns venues, banks, I think he even has a clothing line! He can do whatever he wants. So what happened?" he added, hesitant.

"He seemed uneasy on the phone," Aomine voiced his thoughts. _He also said he knew Kagami's password. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though. But I can't help but wonder how._ "Like he was stressed. Annoyed."

Kise leaned against the door. "Maybe things aren't going as smoothly as he expected."

"And what _is_ he expecting, Kise?"

The blond narrowed his eyes. "Why should I tell you? Are you planning on going against Akashi's orders?"

"I just wanna know what I'm working towards," Aomine shrugged. "All I know is that Akashi has been buying all the drug dealers and gang bosses, keeping them quiet and in line. Hell, I _helped_ him do it months ago. But if he's got you running around like a dog, then I want to know why."

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" the model snapped. "Had a change of heart? Suddenly you're gonna start behaving like the _enforcer of law_ that you are? You going to arrest me, arrest _Akashi_?" Kise's tone was aggressive. Kise rarely got aggressive. "You want to be Tokyo's saviour? I heard from Akashi, by the way. About your new relationship. Apparently he's the same guy that got you back into basketball," he spat, anger sparking in his gaze. "You know how basketball brought us all together, and ironically, got us into this in the first place! So now that you've got someone to love and protect, you're going to sell us all out, and all this work will be for nothing-"

"I'm not arresting anyone," Aomine hissed back. "If I arrest you, then I've got to arrest myself for all the shit we've been through, and I'm not doing that. Not if I can help it. And Kagami…he doesn't change anything." He felt how wrong, how false, those words tasted in his mouth, but he kept going. "We're all on the same boat here. If one of us sinks, we all do. I'm just trying to make sense of this, Kise. I feel like you don't understand-"

Kise's dry laugh interrupted him. His eyes were cold. "You want to know what I'm doing? What he asked me to do? Some of those people out there," he jabbed a finger at the door, "they're Akashi's _funding_. This may look like a fancy fundraiser, but they're being used. In money laundering."

"…what?"

"The money they 'donate' comes from illegal sources. Drugs, weapons, you name it. When Akashi bought off all the suppliers, he also got all their dirty money. That dirty money is what's being donated today," Kise bit out. "Fundraising is the best way of doing it, right under everyone's noses. The celebrities get money regularly wired to their accounts, and then they donate it. Only _they_ can give away such vast amounts of money without it looking strange. And if they tell the police, it looks suspicious on them too, since they get connected to illegal money directly." It was as though once Kise started, he couldn't stop. All this information, bottled up inside of him, and he could finally let it out.

"How can Akashi even _access_ all their accounts?"

Kise snorted. "Akashi is one of the richest men in Japan. Did you forget he owns the Akashi Kyoudai Baking Corporation? He can do whatever he wants," the blond repeated. "So you may think I've got it easy, but I had to become friends with those people. I had to form relationships to get information, relationships with no meaning behind them but ill will because Akashi needed the connections and the funds. And it's…it's hard, but I've got to do it."

Aomine couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Akashi is _rich_. Why would he need money?"

"He's not going to use his _own_ money to buy off drug dealers and gang leaders! He needs the money back to fill up the hole in his accounts. A fake fundraising organisation with a believable cover is perfect for this," Kise threw his hands up. "I don't know much else, but even though Akashi plans to throw Tokyo to the wolves, he isn't going to do it to _himself_."

"And the government has no idea…?" Aomine breathed. He knew something big was going down with Akashi, but not _this_ big.

Kise bit his lips, and he looked tired. Tired of everything. "That's…that's not my job. I'm in charge of the entertainment industry. The government is _that guy's_ field."

"So I'm spying on the police, you're laundering money using Japan's most famous, and Akashi is pulling the strings of this whole puppet show while the rest of us are left in the dark. And the dirt."

"That pretty much sums it up."

Well. Their lives were _shit_.

* * *

"Please have a seat."

Kuroko closed the office door behind him and sat down in front of his boss's desk. "Yes Boss? What do you need?"

Riko looked over her files at him. "How was the prison visit?"

Kuroko shrugged. "Nothing much. Furuhashi-san didn't provide any information. He seems to be unaware of anything."

"Even adding 'san' to convicted criminals," Riko shook her head, smiling. "I guess I didn't expect much from him. But I think you'll have more luck tomorrow. I've got a good feeling," her lips quirked.

"Tomorrow?" Kuroko looked at her curiously.

"I want you to go alone this time. Yokohama Prison, little farther off."

Kuroko's eyes narrowed fractionally. "Who's at Yokohama Prison?"

"Our biggest lead yet." Riko leaned back and grinned. She closed the file and tossed it over to Kuroko, who slowly flipped it open.

A picture of a man with a cornrow hairstyle and dark narrow eyes stared back at him. His name was in capital letters underneath.

Kuroko swallowed. "Haizaki Shougo."

* * *

 **Yeah, lots of things were unplanned in this, but I hope it still worked out. They happened, so now they're gonna keep happening. XD**

 **The party arc was honestly supposed to last just one chapter. But this happened. And yet again it's nearly 5000 words. So I guess the rest will have to wait until chapter 7!**

 **And now I'm thinking maybe it will just be 15 chapters, since each chapter is so long, and I don't want to drag the story on and on with no meaning. It's pretty fast paced, since things only happen a couple of days apart from each other, but I also want to try moving their romantic relationship along. We'll see how things go, because even though I've planned out the main storyline there might be things I want to shove in here and there just to fuck with the characters XD**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7: Clue

**Sorry for the long wait! I went a little crazy writing about 30,000 words of drabbles on my tumblr blog…yep, 30,000 words total…if you're interested in checking them out, my AoKaga tumblr is theeventideabyss and my personal is thetranscendentabyss :)**

 **Anyway, I'll summarise the last chapter so you don't have to read it again. Riko & Co get an anonymous tip telling them to go to the fundraiser, Aomine and Kagami infiltrate, Aomine finds Kise who tells him about money laundering, Kagami finds Alex who tells him to ask the guests about the suspicious nature of the event. Oh, and Riko asks Kuroko to go visit Haizaki in prison. And now we continue!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Clue**

Aomine sighed heavily, ramming his head against the wall. There were so many factors to consider, so many things that were happening at the same time.

He felt like boarding a plane – preferably with Kagami – and just flying away from Japan and all his problems.

But no. He was going to fix this. He was going to face his past, and his mistakes of the last ten years, but he couldn't do it alone.

"Kise…thanks. For telling me all this. You didn't have to, especially given that I haven't told you much about my side of things."

Kise looked at him strangely, then shook his head. "No, Aominecchi. I'm actually glad you asked. It's hard, because even though we're in this together, if feels…really lonely sometimes," he smiled sadly. "Maybe because we know we're hurting good people. And just to cover our own asses. It's despicable."

"Yeah, we're real shit," Aomine laughed dryly. He stood up straight and walked closer to the blonde, his face serious. "But we can change that, Kise. Before Akashi called, that's what I was going to say. If we work together…" his breath caught in his throat. If Akashi found out what he was about to say, the redhead would make sure Aomine _seriously_ regretted it.

Kise looked at him with some apprehension, but he was listening. He knew what Aomine was going to say, and he was still listening. That was a good sign.

"Maybe we can stop Akashi." The words tumbled out, and the panic in his chest loosened a little. He could do this. He could say this. "Maybe…we can stop him _before_ he finishes whatever the fuck his plans are. Stop him _before_ the police catch onto him even more."

The other's eyes narrowed. "You _are_ the police."

"Which is why I know they aren't getting anywhere," Aomine insisted. "None of us will get arrested for our past crimes, because nobody will find out. If…if we extinguish the flame before it becomes uncontrollable, then it'll just disappear in the wind."

Kise shook his head. "Akashi's too strong for that. We can't just _tell_ him to stop."

"No, but what we _can_ do is tell our ex-teammates to stop," Aomine said, thinking aloud. "If we are the pillars that support this operation from the shadows, and we crumble, then Akashi's got nothing to base his operations on. No workforce, no-"

"That _won't_ work," Kise bit out. "Have you forgotten the reason we listen to him in the first place? If Akashi gets _one_ hint that we're working against him, he'll reveal all the evidence he has of our past… _involvement_ with the Kiseki, and then we'll all rot in jail and he'll do whatever the fuck he wants!"

Aomine raised his brows. Kise _swore_. Kise _never_ swore. "Kise, he may not like it, but he needs us. He needs me in the force, he needs you here, he needs all of us to do his dirty work. That's our way out. Why would he give us up so easily?"

"That's because he _doesn't_ need us. Like you said, we're his puppets…" Kise hesitated. "Don't hold me to this, because I'm not too sure myself, but I don't think he's doing this alone."

"Of course he's doing this alone, who else is there?" Aomine crossed his arms. "His dad's dead, and everyone from the original Kiseki is gone one way or another."

"But I'm not in charge of this fundraiser. I'm _hosting_ it. Yes, I picked the targets. Yes, I told Akashi about them," Kise grabbed Aomine's shoulders. "I thought he did everything after that, since he owns the venue and the banks and everything. But don't you think that's a bit too much? Think about it. Don't you think having the entire underworld – weapons, drugs, money, politics – controlled by one man with us as his helpers is stretching it?"

"So you're saying Akashi has other people close to him." Aomine shrugged. "Not hard to believe. He can hire them or whatever. Blackmail them like he does us."

Kise looked doubtful. "Maybe. But it doesn't feel right. Aominecchi, we…no matter what we do, I don't believe any of us are _criminals_ at heart. But the men working for Akashi…I have a feeling they _are_. Akashi doesn't _need_ us. We're just convenient. We've got no public criminal background, but we're still tied to him. We…we're the front. We're useful, but not necessary. We aren't the pillars holding him up. We're the decoration." He pursed his lips. "If we take down Akashi, we don't need to take down our own teammates. We need to take down _his_ teammates. Whoever they are."

Aomine grabbed Kise's arm. "So you're with me? You're willing to risk it? You're willing to take Akashi down?"

Kise opened his mouth just as there was a banging noise on his door. The two exchanged a glance as Kise opened it.

"Hope you had a good chat," a familiar voice drawled. "You're on in five, Kise. Get a move on."

"Senpai!" Kise laughed, his voice lighter. "You knew where I was?"

"I'm still your fucking bodyguard. Of course I've got an eye on you," Kasamatsu muttered.

Aomine followed Kise out of the room, nodding a greeting to the guard. "Well, I should leave. We'll talk later."

As he turned around, Kise grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. "Here's my card," he handed it to Aomine and leaned a little closer. "And Aominecchi, I know you want to keep your past and future apart," he murmured. "But your boyfriend is working on this case. No matter how hard you try to keep Akashi and him separate in your life, it's not going to work. My advice is you tell him. He can help, I'm sure of it. You're partners. You're _meant_ to work together."

"Kagami's got nothing to do with the Kiseki," Aomine muttered back, but for some reason, something Akashi had told him in the past nagged at the back of his mind when he said it. "This is _our_ problem. We'll solve it ourselves."

Kise went to say something, but shrugged instead before walking in the opposite direction with his grumbling guard.

Aomine looked at the business card, and pocketed it.

Maybe there was some hope for them, after all.

* * *

Kagami forced a grin as the women fawned over him, leaning on his shoulder and touching his hair. Alex had left him to go god knows where, and he hated her for it. He could not deal with this alone. He'd seen Aomine head off with the blonde haired man he had recognised as the host, so he was truly left alone.

"So ladies, what brings you to the party?" Kagami asked and winced as soon as the words were out. _Oh god that sounds so cheap_.

They didn't seem to think so. One of the three, a pretty woman with a high bun, smiled at him as she took his empty glass and handed him another one. "I don't think I've met you before, Mr…?"

Kagami began to say his own name, before he remembered he had another. "Ono Yuuki. Voice actor."

One of the ladies, a brunette, offered a hand. "I'm a voice actor too, Chiwa Saito. I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of working with you."

Kagami kept up the forced smile. _Yeah, that's because I don't technically exist_. "I'm pretty small time, really."

They exchanged a glance, as though a secret message passed between them.

"Is that true?" the first one asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "So how did you get invited? We don't mean to offend! It's just that…"

"Well, to be honest, I don't know myself," Kagami admitted truthfully. Not so truthfully he said: "I got it in the mail, and it seemed really important that I go. Does everyone know each other here or are we all strangers?" _Come on ladies. Tell me what you know_.

"We're pretty much strangers," one of them rearranged her dress. "So…how much are you _donating_ today?"

It was the way she asked that question that made Kagami feel a little uncomfortable. "As much as I can, of course."

They looked at each other again, in that strange way. The one named Saito opened her mouth, then thought better of it and looked away. Before Kagami could press her further, the lights dimmed and a man with blonde hair walked onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you _so_ much for joining us today…"

 _Well, they're not talking. I could bring them down to the station, but that'll probably just scare them into further silence_. Kagami excused himself and slipped off into one of the side hallways. _I've also got that bottle with me. Dammit, Taiga, you can't go back empty handed! Think!_

He was so deep in thought, he didn't realise someone was walking his way until he collided with them.

He held out his hands to steady the person and got a face full of hair.

"God dammit," the shorter man grumbled, stepping away and rubbing his head. "Damn tall people don't watch where they're going… You're all like Kise."

"I'm really sorry!" Kagami winced when he realised the man was wearing security black, his badge reading _Kasamatsu Yukio – Kaijou Security Services_. "I am truly…" his voice trailed off as his eyes landed on the floor between them. There was the bottle, lying in plain sight, probably jolted out of his jacket when he bumped into the guard.

He quickly bent down and picked it up, pocketing it fast while hoping the guard hadn't seen and recognised the white powder inside. Kasamatsu looked at him with a mixture of pity and curiosity.

"The bathrooms are down the other way," he pointed behind Kagami.

Kagami quirked an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

Kasamatsu jerked a thumb at where Kagami had pocketed the drug. "Well, it isn't any of my business as to why you have to do it at this place, but obviously you need the bathroom for a urine sample."

Kagami reddened. "A u-urine sample?"

"The bottle…" Kasamatsu shook his head. "Why am I talking to a random stranger about urine samples? I don't know." He patted Kagami on the back as he walked past. "Hope you're in good health!"

"Thanks…" Kagami mumbled…before it _clicked_. Urine sample. He took the bottle out again. Cylindrical, with a yellow top. He'd looked at it dozens of times. It was nothing remarkable. The only thing was a small logo at the bottom – a spiky, star like symbol with three evenly spaced protruding staffs that looked like small pen nibs. Kagami had already tried to run it through their system for a company match at the station with no luck. Without a clearer picture of it, it was easier said than done.

And Takao had specifically told him not to show anyone until he had a solid lead. A solid lead was better than a shoplifter's word of mouth, and Takao hadn't wanted to be personally connected with the drug either.

But now Kagami _had_ a lead. Because the guard had just made him realised something _very_ important. The bottle he was holding was meant for urine samples. Which meant it was from a doctor's clinic, or a _hospital_. Kagami smirked. This was Takao who had given it to him, so it was most likely a hospital. Takao still hadn't told Kagami who had treated his bullet wound way back when the street rat had gotten some time ago, and it was definitely easier for an employee to get a hold of a clean and empty bottle like this rather than a patient.

Was it such a far cry that the doctor who treated him may have also given him a job? Maybe, but Kagami intended to find out.

He was feeling a lot happier as he tucked the evidence deep into his jacket. He hadn't found out as much as he would have liked to about the fundraiser, but he'd gotten Takao's clue pinned down. He hoped Aomine had more luck on the goal of today's mission, however. Only by working together were they going to get to the bottom of this mess.

"Taiga! Any luck?"

He turned around to see Alex walking over to him. She held a few papers in her hand.

"I was just practicing that damn speech," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Any luck with the girls?"

He shook his head. "No, sadly. They're tight-lipped, so I'm pretty certain something's going on," he sighed. "Hopefully my partner's been luckier."

Alex pouted. "Well, it would have to be something pretty big for them not to spill the beans to you. You've got such a trusting face."

"Maybe they didn't want a trusting face," Kagami shrugged. "I don't think there's anything else I can do anymore. I'll just call Aomine and head back." _I also need to tell Chief about the heroin. I'm not waiting any longer_ , he thought with slight urgency.

"I could see if I could do some digging," Alex said nonchalantly as she flipped through her notes. "Since I'm working with the Japan Natural Disaster Relief organisation, I'm sure I can be of use."

Kagami frowned at her. "No, Alex. I don't know what's up but it might be dangerous, and I'm not having you hurt."

"Oh, honey, you're so sweet," she grinned at him. "But Big Sis Alex is more than capable enough! Well, I gotta go give a speech, but I'll drop by your apartment later, okay?" she grabbed his collar and pulled him forward, kissing him straight on the mouth before Kagami could stop her.

"Ew, you got lipstick on me," he groaned as she pulled away and he wiped his lips. Thank goodness the hallway was deserted, so no-one had seen it. "And you really shouldn't do that…" his voice died as he saw Alex stare over his shoulder. He slowly turned around to find Aomine staring at him, mouth slack. _Fuck_. "Aomine, wait, it's not-"

Alex clapped her hands together. "So _you're_ Aomine? Taiga's new partner, right?"

" _Taiga_?" Aomine muttered and Kagami recalled the time when he had said the same thing, in the same way, back when they met drunk at the bar Himuro worked at. He had shivered back then, hearing his name slide off Aomine's tongue, and that hadn't changed for today either.

"Aomine, this is my basketball coach from America," Kagami rubbed his forehead. "She has a nasty habit of kissing everyone."

Aomine's eyes scanned over her. _This is that woman from earlier!_ And in some thoughtless act of dominance, he grabbed Kagami's jacket the same way she had and placed another kiss right on his lips, straight in front of her, his other hand snaking around Kagami's back. He scowled at the bitter feeling on his tongue. "That lipstick tastes horrible."

Kagami blinked at him, before his cheeks flushed. "What the fuck are you doing in public, you _Aho_!" he shoved the other away.

"Oo la la," Alex snorted. "So when you said _partner_ , you meant it _that_ way?" she winked at Kagami. "He's hot. I approve."

"Why do I know you people…?" Kagami felt like beating his head against a wall.

"Because we're awesome," Alex nodded. "Anyway, I'm on stage soon, but I'll contact you later." As she turned around, she winked at Aomine too. "And I may contact _you_ too, handsome. Okay, okay, I'll stop hitting on your boyfriend," she chuckled as Kagami glared at her. "See ya!"

"Basketball coach, huh?" Aomine huffed as they saw her disappear around a corner.

"She's really good. She was part of the WNBA," Kagami replied. "But let's talk about something more important," he said as they started towards a side exit. "Did you find out anything? The guests wouldn't talk so openly with me, but I saw you with that Kise guy. Did he have anything useful to say?"

Aomine pursed his lips. _Should I tell him? No. I can't. I need to shut down the operation. I can't have him involved. It's the only thing I can do to protect him._ Kise's words flashed though his mind. _Yeah, I know we're partners. But I can't tell him everything. Not yet._

"Aomine?"

Aomine shook his head free of thoughts. They had been walking in silence and were now outside, the cool winter air a fresh change from the indoor stuffiness. The street they exited on was quiet, empty and peaceful. Kagami looked at him worriedly, and Aomine felt a pang in his chest. He placed a hand on Kagami's cheek, and Kagami blinked up at him in surprise.

"Uh, you okay?"

"Yeah," Aomine whispered. "Sorry. I didn't find anything useful either." The words were heavy in his mouth. Acrid.

Kagami placed his own hand on Aomine's and smiled softly. "That's fine. We'll work it out."

Aomine's mouth was dry. "Okay. Can you hail a cab? I think I saw a few on the main road. I need to sit down a little."

"Sure," Kagami grinned and walked off. As soon as he was out of sight, Aomine reached into his back pocket and took out a red smartphone. He'd nicked it off Kagami when they were kissing, and he typed in the passcode hesitantly.

 _0315._

The phone clicked and opened up to the menu. _So Akashi was right._ Aomine took a deep breath. He didn't want to do this. But if he didn't, Akashi would get too suspicious, and Aomine knew it would be harder to fight back if that happened.

Even more reason to keep Kagami away from it all. If he didn't know anything important, he couldn't accidentally leak it to Akashi, right?

Aomine did the deed and pocketed the phone. _Akashi Antivirus_ , developed by one of Akashi's many companies, was one of the most top end software. It was also used by the _government_. How far it was used, Aomine didn't know, and he didn't know if Akashi was spying on his own government either. But whatever happened, Aomine had come to a decision.

As he saw a taxi turn onto the road and stop near him, Kagami waving at him from the passenger seat, he knew it was the right choice.

Aomine would stop Akashi.

But he'd need the help of his ex-teammates first, and he had a feeling he knew where to begin.

* * *

"You get ten minutes."

The man smiled at the guard. "Thank you. And you guarantee this visit is off the books and off the recordings?"

The guard nodded gruffly, smiling. "You sure paid me and my pals enough. You've got our word."

"If I find out otherwise, I know where you live. And trust me, I _will_ find out." the visitor smiled, and the guard stiffened. He was three times the other man's size, but somehow, he knew he was as significant as an ant under the other man's leather shoes.

"Of course, sir," the man bowed low. He'd said 'ten minutes' but honestly, he didn't think he had the balls to tell the guy to get out if he ran overtime.

The man stepped through the doors into the room. It was a small room, with one table in the middle and two chairs facing each other.

One of the chairs was occupied.

The man who sat in it had messy black hair that had once been braided into cornrows. His dark narrow eyes locked with a mismatched pair.

"Akashi," the guy mumbled, the chains locking his hands together clanging as he moved to stand up.

"Sit down, Shougo," Akashi said, seating himself. "I see you no longer dye your hair the colour of your personality."

The prisoner glowered. "You should be calling me _Haizaki_ - _san_. And my personality is fucking fantastic. Plus there ain't no hair dye in prison. Look, what the fuck do you want, Akashi?"

Akashi frowned. "Kuroko Tetsuya is coming over tomorrow morning, and you are to tell him _nothing_."

"And why would I do that?" Haizaki sneered. "You ain't my boss, Akashi- _kun_."

Akashi's eyes flashed, and Haizaki felt his stomach roil. "No, I am not. But do you know who _was_? My father," his voice was emotionless, but Haizaki could feel the underlying anger. "You failed him, Shougo. And he failed the Kiseki. But I am not like him. I am _better_. I will succeed where he failed."

"How the fuck did I fail him?" Haizaki growled. "I worked _to the bone_ for him, for _years_. I even took care of those brats you brought-"

"You got _caught_!" Akashi slammed his hands on the table and stood up, and Haizaki would be lying if he said he wasn't a little startled.

"That's 'cuz I didn't know fucking Nijimu-"

"And you make _excuses_!" Akashi's voice rose and he leaned in closer. "But there's someone here, in this very prison, who _doesn't_ make excuses. Someone here I trust a lot more than _you_ to get the job done. You are _useless_ , Shougo. And that person is going to help me rebuild the Kiseki, rebuild it _better_."

"If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, you're fucked up," Haizaki spat. "I swear, you're gonna be just as bad as your father. Maybe even worse, and I sure as hell don't mean that in a good way."

Akashi spread his arms out wide, his lips curling up in an empty smile. "I'm doing this for the greater good, Shougo. My father was a _corrupted_ man. He had so much power, but he used it all wrong," he sighed. "The police were so stupid, that even though my father was _so_ open, they still couldn't stop him. They didn't even _arrest_ him. And my mother paid for that with her life. She's dead, Shougo. She's dead because my father was stupid when he tried controlling the underworld. She's dead because the police were incompetent. She's dead because of _Tokyo's_ sins."

"And reviving the Kiseki Syndicate in your image is gonna solve that?" Haizaki drawled. His confidence was beginning to waver. Akashi's words were more than those of a madman. They were the words of a _psycho_.

"I will _purge_ Tokyo! And what better way than to throw it into chaos, burn its superficial system, and let it be reborn?" Akashi chuckled. "And I have the perfect man for it. You'll see it, even from your little prison cell. Tokyo will _pay_ for my mother's death. They _all_ will." Akashi straightened his coat and tightened his scarf, tucking in his chair. "Well," he said, his voice suddenly calmer. "I think my time is up. Tetsuya will come tomorrow to ask questions, and you _will not_ divulge any information, okay?"

Haizaki nodded subconsciously as Akashi smiled at him and left.

This kid was at least fifteen years younger than him, but Haizaki could feel it.

He wasn't a kid anymore. He was a man.

And a dangerous one at that.

For once, Haizaki felt glad he was locked in prison.

* * *

 **Thanks for your patience and support! I don't have anyone to actually _consult_ when it comes to this story, so all the planning and weaving that I do is only done by me, and through only my perspective. So I sincerely apologise if things get confusing in a bad way. If they do, let me know, and I will work even harder on those points to clear them up further! Since I don't know how much explanation is enough (as I want to keep the plot layered like an onion lolol), and I just go with my gut feeling.**

 **Thanks for reading! 3**


	8. Chapter 8: Deliberation

**I'm baaack, sorry for the wait! ;D**

 **Unbeta-ed.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: This is for guest reviewer NINJASTAR777. Your review has been published, albeit a little late no doubt due to an error on ff's end. Thank you for the con crit!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Deliberation**

The buzzer rung sharply, piercing the cold morning air. Even indoors, winter's grasp crept through the concrete walls. Kuroko pulled his coat closer, but the chill he felt wasn't brought on by the weather. He walked into the fairly large room, the guard nodding to him in acknowledgment. His pale blue eyes flickered over the setting.

A few tables were arranged, two chairs each, and other prisoners were talking to their friends and family. A small television in the top corner played the news. A couple of guards stood watch inside, but these criminals were fairly small time and didn't require much attention.

 _Most_ of them, anyway.

His gaze landed on the man that sat with his back to him, head tilted to watch the news. Probably the only time the man saw any kind of entertainment.

Memories flashed in Kuroko's mind and he shivered. Kuroko remembered his days as a teenager, remembered the silver haired silhouette of a man leaning over a large crate of weapons. Remembered the man standing beside another older one, this one with red hair. Remembered how when a look of disdain crossed the redhead's face towards a poor soul begging on his knees in front of him, the bodyguard callously removed his firearm and ended the 'pathetic' life in a single shot, all with a smile on his face.

But Kuroko had to do this, to save his friends. To save _Akashi_ , so he wouldn't become the man with the disdain. He hadn't done enough in the past, but now…now was his chance to redeem himself, and them. And this man in front of him no doubt had important information, maybe not the latest information, but something from the past that they could hopefully use.

If he talked.

Kuroko took a deep breath and walked to him.

"Haizaki-kun." He didn't like how his voice cracked. _Stop, Tetsuya. What's in the past is in the past_.

Dark eyes rose to meet blue. They weren't surprised. Kuroko's eyes widened.

"You've been expecting me," he stated, his mouth dry.

Haizaki snorted. "Those eyes still see everything, don't they, Kuroko?" The narrow eyes squinted further. "You still doing your spy work? ' _One of Kiseki's best_ ' I remember Akashi telling me back in the day. And you still got that Colt I gave you years ago? Yeah, can I have that back-?"

"Haizaki-kun, just answer my questions," Kuroko seated himself in front of the prisoner.

Haizaki leaned back in his chair. "Did you get rid of it? No, it's hard to get rid of a firearm. It _is_ unregistered though, so maybe it's not that hard…you know, I forget my gun laws. Did they change them since I've been in prison?"

Kuroko pursed his lips. "No, they have not made unregistered weapons dealing legal."

"Damn, here I was hoping to get out of prison," Haizaki shrugged.

 _On murder charges?_ Kuroko thought with a sliver of cold fear. "Do you know anything about the current state of the Kiseki Syndicate?" Kuroko asked, ignoring Haizaki's commenting. "Seeing as you were expecting me, I assume Akashi-kun came to see you."

Haizaki's lips pulled into a scowl. "Akashi visited me all right. That brat's got something off upstairs," he tapped the side of his head.

 _Don't we all._ "What did he say?"

"The usual psycho stuff. Added stuff about how I failed Akashi-san. Told me you were coming, and not to say anything about his shit," Hazaki rocked a little on his chair.

Kuroko felt his jaw clench. "So you'll follow orders?"

Haizaki shook his head slowly. "I worked for his father, not him. And frankly, even Akashi is creeping me out. I don't want him to burn Tokyo or whatever the fuck he's on about."

Kuroko stared at Haizaki in shock. Was this the same man who so easily killed all those years ago?

"Don't look at me like that," Haizaki scrunched his nose. "Look, I did lots of bad things, but Akashi's dad…he had a way with words, just like his son. I wanted to please him, like a fucking _dog_. You just follow these guys without a second thought. It's like their words are magical."

The shorter man closed his eyes. It was true. They'd fallen for it so many times before.

"I was a really bad guy, I know. Every day is a reminder, every day in these clothes, every day behind these bars," Haizaki sighed. "But even I've got family. And Tokyo is _my_ city. Akashi-san did many horrible things, but he never had absolute chaos as his end goal. And after Shiori-san died, well, shit just hit the fan. Akashi _Seijuro_ though? That boy's fucked up. And that's something coming from _me_."

 _Akashi Shiori_. Kuroko had never met her, but he'd heard plenty. That was when everything changed.

"Anyway, all that I know is that Akashi has people under him, just like his father did. If you track down those old bastards maybe you can find the new ones," Haizaki ran a hand through his hair. "You knock over those guys and it'll slow him down. Maybe even give you some solid evidence to arrest the guy. These Akashis have always been a slippery lot for you cops…" his eyes narrowed. "That's right, never thought you'd be a cop. Pisses me off actually. Reminds me of Nijumura. But I guess now you guys are the only thing standing between Akashi and the end," his gaze darkened. "Funny, I thought you'd actually be following Akashi."

"Akashi-kun is wrong," Kuroko said. "And I will stop him. With or without your help."

"What else can I say? I'm not exactly in the public or criminal sphere for about a decade now," Haizaki muttered. "But fighting Akashi…you've grown some balls wince I saw your wimpy ass back then," he grinned dryly.

"You've changed as well," Kuroko smiled a little. "I'm…glad."

Haizaki's eyes drifted to the TV screen on top of Kuroko's head, and the light reflected a little in his pupils. "Prison changes some people, Kuroko. Others…not so much."

That was when the words of the news reported registered in Kuroko's mind. His eyes widened with growing horror. He turned around sharply.

The commotion was right outside the same prison gates Kuroko had entered through, but in the secluded quiet of this room, he'd had no idea.

"This is incredibly unexpected, but his prison sentence has been shortened by three months," the woman spoke, her red coat stark against the grey of the building. People bustled behind her, media, guards, everyone. "The business tycoon was arrested nearly ten years ago on fraud and conspiracy charges. Here we managed to get a word in."

It cut to a man with a thin smile and thick eyebrows. "I want to repent for my wrongdoings. Now I just want to make Tokyo a better place for all its citizens."

Kuroko shook his head. _No. No, no, no._

The footage went back to the reporter. Kuroko saw the woman's red lips part in slow motion as she said the name. "Today is the day Hanamiya Makoto walks as a free man."

* * *

It was thumping on his door that woke Kagami up. He stumbled out of bed, checking his alarm. Seven. He'd definitely slept through his alarm. But this banging was incessant. He opened the door with a curse on his tongue-

Well. He wasn't expecting Aomine.

"You dropped your phone. I found it in the car yesterday," the man marched right into his home. "Also, Boss wants a brief of the party so she's asked us to come in early."

"Oh the day I sleep in," Kagami mumbled. "I'm surprised you're awake, Aho."

"Better awake then a kick in the nuts from that woman," Aomine snorted. In actuality, he hadn't been able to sleep well. He handed the phone over with some remorse.

Kagami took it. "I dropped it? I didn't even realise. I just collapsed on the bed when I got home. I'm starving," he patted Aomine on the shoulder and headed to the kitchen.

 _No, you didn't drop it. I stole it._ Aomine bit his lip. _If there's one thing the Kiseki taught me, it's pickpocketing_.

"You want breakfast?"

"Yeah," he swallowed. _I'll make it up to you. I promise._

* * *

Riko drummed her fingernail on the table. "So, it was a bust."

"Not exactly," Kagami sighed. "There's definitely something up with the fund that organised that event. The girls there were very tense, and tight lipped."

Riko squinted. "Fine, I'll get Imayoshi to work on it. Not everything is bad news though. Well, no, I guess that's not true either," she scowled. "Have you seen the morning news?"

"Haven't had time," Aomine crossed his arms. He had a bad feeling about this. He surreptitiously glanced at her desk, fully aware of the listening bug. If any important information was divulged to Akashi, he'd just have to deal around it. He couldn't let Akashi know about his intentions.

Riko grimaced. "You probably don't know him, but his name is Hanamiya Makoto, and he's a scoundrel of the worst kind. He's also out of prison."

"Hanamiya…" Kagami breathed just as Aomine felt his stomach drop. "Wasn't he part of the Kiseki?!"

Riko raised an eyebrow. "You've done your homework. Supposedly he was, but we never found solid evidence. His sentence was shortened on _good behaviour_ but that just feels a little off to me," she massaged her forehead. "Anyway, his lawyers are making it impossible for us to talk to him. I feel like I'm going to call in old friends for a little help."

"If he's involved, we'll definitely catch him," Kagami scoffed. "Chief, I…think I've got a lead. But I need more time to follow up on it. I promise to get back to you on it, but I need to head down to the tech department first."

Riko raised an eyebrow at Aomine and he shrugged. He had no idea. She waved Kagami away and the redhead grinned at the two. "You can go too, Aomine-kun."

He nodded and left silently.

Riko tapped away at her phone. _I don't know what Kagami-kun's up to but I'll trust him._ She pressed the dial button and held the phone up her ear.

"This is unexpected," the flat tone of voice on the other end contradicted the supposed surprise. There was running water in the background.

Riko smiled. "How's retired life?"

The man clicked his tongue. "About to get busy, I suppose."

"You're in Oume now, right? Let me drop by."

"Riko-san, I don't care about your problems," the man said, irritated. "My service is over. And just like I told your father, I have nothing more to say."

"Please, hear me out," Riko sat up. "They're coming back. The Kiseki are _coming back_."

There was silence on the other end. "That's impossible."

Riko pursed her lips. "Oume, yes?"

She could hear the tap turn off. He sighed, heavy and miserable. "I'll text you the address."

Riko knew this was hard. He wanted the past to remain buried, but he knew well the demons always caught up. "Okay. Thank you…Nijimura-san."

* * *

The black haired man peered at the cylindrical bottle quietly, running a thumb over the insignia at the bottom.

"Can you do it?" Kagami asked and he nodded, smiling.

"Mitobe says he'd be happy to." A face uncannily resembling a cat's grinned at him.

"Alright, thanks Koganei-senpai," Kagami replied with a smile. He saw the silent man type fast on his computer, using his phone to scan the symbol and downloading it into the system. "I know it's a hospital in or near Tokyo, if that helps. I tried for a company and I got no matches, but you seem better at this than me."

Mitobe nodded again. Around half an hour later, he smiled.

"He says that the information really helped narrow down results and he has a possible match!" Koganei piped.

Kagami looked up from his other files with relief. He leaned over Mitobe's shoulder, scanning the data. "Shuutoku General Hospital…Shuutoku district," he whistled. "It's pretty far, right on the outskirts of the region." Takao knew how to _move_. He slapped Mitobe on the back and the poor man gave him a wobbly grin, rubbing the area. "Thanks Mitobe-senpai! But…" Kagami hesitated. "Could you guys keep it on the down-low? It's sensitive information."

Koganei grinned. "You have my word but I don't know about Mitobe, he's a chatterbox."

Kagami rolled his eyes at them, smiling as he closed the door behind him. He knowcked on his boss's door and cracked the door open. "Chief."

She looked up. She seemed to be about to leave for somewhere, packing her handbag. "Yes?"

"I have a dubious lead in Shuutoku General Hospital, but I want to scope it out first," he explained. "No use sending a big force down there right now. I need to know if the tip I got is correct."

Riko looked thoughtful. "Shuutoku's quite a drive. And you know you can't search the place with a warrant, right? Well," she added, "I can't get you a warrant anyway. This operation's not easy to explain to a judge."

"I'm sure we'll find a way," Kagami grinned.

" _We_?" Riko smirked. "Good to know you've got Aomine in mind."

Kagami blinked at his Freudian slip. Looked like he was getting used to his new partner.

"Take the precinct car, it's easier to pay for the fuel that way," she pointed at him. "Also, it's a long drive, but try to come home by night. If need be, stay overnight. Don't drive fatigued!"

"Yes, ma'am," Kagami chuckled.

* * *

"You met _who?_ "

"Haizaki-kun, at the prison."

Aomine had run into Kuroko just outside the precinct doors and they stepped aside. " _That_ Haizaki?"

"Who else?" Kuroko muttered. "And I think Hanamiya-san is involved too."

"Yeah, I heard that bastard was out of prison. Fuck, this is worse than I thought," Aomine ruffled his hair. His phone buzzed and he peered at it, his eyes widening. "K-Kagami just texted me. He said he has a lead at Shuutoku so…we're going there. Shit, where is he getting this information?"

Kuroko narrowed his eyes. "You'll probably meet Midorima-kun there."

Aomine pulled a face.

"How are you going to keep Kagami-kun in the dark? And for how long? Kagami-kun is a cop, and he's no as dull as you think." He paused. "He's going to find out, and would you rather he find out by himself or would you tell him first?"

Aomine leaned his head against the wall. "I need to protect him. Akashi's not playing around. That stunt he made Midorima pull a few days ago…I can't have anything happen to Kagami because of me." He looked at Kuroko seriously. "This is _our_ fight Tetsu. I'm assuming you're on the good side. You were yesterday's gala's anonymous tip right? Where I met Kise."

Kuroko nodded slowly. "That's true. I don't agree with Akashi-kun either. But don't change the subject. If you really care about Kagami-kun, if you really love him, you'd trust him. You'd _tell_ him."

Aomine grit his teeth. "I need to protect-"

"Kagami is stronger than all of us. He doesn't need protecting. In truth, you're a coward who only ever wanted to protect yourself," Kuroko spat, emotion a rare thing on his face.

"It's true, in the beginning I was. That's why I couldn't decide, Tetsu," Aomine said, strength in his voice. "I couldn't decide. I was sitting on the fence. But now I know. I will stop Akashi. Because I want to keep Kagami safe, more than myself. I did Akashi's bidding, like bugging Chief's office, because I wanted to cover my own ass. But now I've changed. And Kagami changed me."

Kuroko felt something bubble in his heart. _Hope?_ "Really?"

"Why don't you try and get in touch with Kise, and I'll talk to Midorima," Aomine smiled, showing his teeth. "I think we can turn them around. I think we can work together. Will you help me?"

He held out his fist and Kuroko felt his nose burn. He hadn't cried in a long while.

"Of course." His fist met Aomine's.

* * *

" _Take the precinct car_ , you said. _Sure it looks like a piece of shit but it's fine_ , you said."

"Quoting me isn't going to fix the problem," Kagami scowled. "Maybe if you hadn't been a dick and actually used the fucking GPS then we wouldn't have wasted so many hours driving in circles and the car wouldn't have broken down."

"Oh, Einstein, please show me where the GPS is," Aomine said with a smile, which turned into a glower. "Oh wait! THIS CAR IS SO OLD IT DOESN'T HAVE ONE!"

Kagami winced. "Be quiet, it's late. And I meant our phones, you dimwit. Google Maps."

"Do you know how much battery the internet eats up on phones? And last time I checked, we didn't bring chargers."

Kagami crossed his arms. "Well, I didn't know it would take so long."

"Maybe you should've checked Google Maps," Aomine mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?!"

Aomine slammed the hood closed. "I can't fix it. And it's already seven in the evening, and I'm fucking tired as shit."

Kagami was bone tired too. They'd gotten lost multiple times, and the directory in the car was so outdated it made the situation worse. He'd called Riko and told her that they'd have to stay the night one way or another. "Let's find a place to crash. I'm not too fond of sleeping in cars."

"And not in a place like this, even though I'm armed," Aomine added, looking around them. The area was very derelict, dark apartment buildings hugging the streets and crowding them. Not enough cars were parked on the roads and hardly any passed by. They locked the car and walked down the street until they came upon an area with flashing neon signs and… _lively_ crowds.

"Red light district," Kagami groaned. "It can't get worse than this."

Of course, then it started to rain.

"I bow to you and your powers of making the universe angry!" Aomine yelled as the thunder rumbled overhead and people dashed for cover.

"Fuck off!" Kagami shouted, grabbing Aomine's arm and ducking into the nearest building. It smelt like smoke and dank water, with dirty yellow lighting and peeling walls.

A girl in a low cut dress grinned at them from a wooden table, a cigarette coiling fumes in front of a face caked with makeup. "We've only got queen size beds at the Naughty at Night Hotel, and the walls are thin so try to not make too much noise, okay boys?" she gave them a salacious wink. "I'll give you a room with hot water for five thousand yen, because you boys look like trouble."

"Naughty at Night?" Kagami repeated, dumbstruck.

Aomine mock-bowed. "Master Wizard, you have done it again. You've dragged us into a love hotel."

* * *

"I'm sorry, I need to take this," Midorima smiled at the female nurse while taking out his cell phone, turning around and walking away down the pristine and brightly lit hallway. "What is it now, Akashi?" he spoke into the receiver.

"Daiki and his new friend are coming to pay you a visit soon."

Midorima frowned. "You mean that cop, Kagami?"

"Precisely. Although according to my information, it's only the two of them. Nothing you can't handle."

Midorima looked behind his back. _Could Takao have…? No, it doesn't matter. This is my problem._ "Okay, Akashi. I'll take care of it."

"They can't get too close…"

Midorima shivered at the implication. "Yes, of course." He pocketed his phone.

He knew the day would come. He'd face his problems, one day. Maybe that day was tomorrow, maybe not.

He clutched the small stone beetle in his pocket. _Oha Asa can't change my past. Only I can face it. See you soon, Aomine._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and comments are lifeblood :D**

 **AoKaga tumblr: theeventideabyss**

 **Personal: thetranscendentabyss**


	9. Chapter 9: Doubts

**Warning for smut BUT WHERE YOU REALLY EXPECTING ANYTHING ELSE BWAHAHHAHA.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Doubts**

"Aida-san!"

Riko turned around at the voice, raising her eyebrows when she saw a young woman running after her on her way to the car. Kagami's call about the station's broken down vehicle had put her in somewhat of a foul mood for the day, but now it was well into the evening and she needed to get home before she started punching something, or someone. Momoi stopped in front of her, pink strands falling out of her bun. She had a piece of paper in her hand that she used to fan her face.

Riko cocked her head. "Momoi-san, is something wrong?"

Momoi looked up at her, her face serious. She held out the piece of paper. "I've narrowed the names."

Riko took the document, her eyes quickly scanning the contents. "Are you sure…?"

Momoi swallowed. "Yes."

Riko's eyes narrowed on more than one name. She had heard of some of these. They were people in top positions, politicians and the like…even higher ups in the police department. Of course, these were just _suspects_ , but it was still a bit discomfiting. She'd have to show her father.

Riko nodded, patting Momoi's shoulder with a warm smile. "Good, thank you, Momoi-san. You've been working hard. I'll show Imayoshi-san, and we'll think about our next step together. I'll let you know when we decide on something."

Momoi nodded, feeling her throat constrict as her boss turned around and walked away. For the past week, Momoi had been researching old suspects from the original Kiseki Syndicate, tracking their movements and locations, whatever information about them she could get her hands on. The ones that stood out, she had their names down. But…

That list…it wasn't complete.

There were two other names. One of them was surprisingly _Midorima_ , but she hadn't heard from the Midorima she knew in a long time, and it hadn't cropped up a lot in her investigations. She still wanted to have a little chat about it to Kuroko later, though.

The other name that kept popping up was more upsetting. Momoi…she _couldn't_ put it on the list. Not until she heard the truth from the man himself.

She chewed her lip nervously as the old face flashed in her memories.

 _Akashi Seijurou…. Just what are you up to?_

* * *

Kagami stepped out of the shower, the steam making his skin clammy even after he dried it with one of the provided towels.

The room wasn't exactly _five star_ but it was good enough. At least there was hot water, and two clean towels. A small heater even buzzed in a corner, keeping the room comfortably warm. Aomine had already showered, and they'd decided to dry their clothes out by spreading them on the table and chair that sat in the corner of the room.

This of course meant they'd have to sleep with no clothes on.

 _Stop it. I'm a full grown adult_. Kagami berated himself as he felt a blush warm his cheeks. He clicked open the bathroom door to see Aomine bending over the bed, examining the sheets with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Kagami followed the water beads as the slid down Aomine's dusky skin. _Can't the guy even dry himself properly?_

"I guess I'll take the floor, but I'll need the sheets…" Aomine trailed off when he looked up to see Kagami staring at him. His own eyes flicked over Kagami before he managed to look away, a slight red tinging his ears.

 _Floor?_ "What are you talking about?" Kagami asked, confused.

"Well," Aomine gestured between them. "We're _naked_. Do you want to sleep in the bed together?"

The implication sent Kagami's heart beating a little faster, and he bit his lip. "W-well…I…" Did he really mind, sleeping next to…well, _with_ Aomine? He…he really didn't. He sighed, sitting on the bed. "This case…it's been _really_ weird."

Aomine looked at him silently, before sitting on the other side of the bed, leaning his back against the headboard. "Yeah. It has."

Kagami clicked his tongue, rubbing the back of his neck. "What I'm trying to say is that…well, I'm glad to have you here for it." Before Aomine could speak, Kagami continued. "I thought…I thought it might be better to do this case alone, I thought it would be easier…to deal with it alone. But I'm glad to have you here."

Aomine's eyes widened as Kagami shuffled closer, his face flushed slightly but his red eyes determined. "What-"

Kagami bit his lip. "I wanted to wait…until after the case ended, but it looks like it might last longer than I thought."

Aomine was feeling a little light-headed, seeing Kagami so close, water spiking those long crimson eyelashes and making that beautiful hair stick to the deliciously tanned skin. "Wait?" Aomine eyes followed Kagami's tongue as it licked his lips.

"I'm glad to have you as a partner," Kagami whispered. "Not just for work…but in my life."

Kagami's lips pressed against Aomine's, and Aomine groaned as his hands slid over smooth, damp skin. Kagami straddled Aomine's lap, tilting his head and opening his mouth for a deeper kiss. His fingers curled in soft navy strands as Aomine's mouth moved lower and his hands wondered over Kagami's chest, the redhead's breath hitching when he flicked his nipples. Kagami grinded down, feeling their erections rub against the towels and each other.

Aomine nipped at Kagami's skin, loving the way it turned red under his lips. Kagami's taste was addictive, he couldn't get enough. His skin was so supple, and Aomine felt himself lose his breath when he felt Kagami's hardness rub against his own.

Kagami pulled at their towels. He knew what he was doing. He _wanted_ this. He wanted it like he'd never wanted anything before. Aomine's mouth tasted so good, his hands felt so amazing. He needed _more_.

It was when Kagami managed to get the towels off, the moment when their heats rubbed directly against each other, that drove one thought straight into Aomine's head. He grabbed Kagami's shoulders and flipped them around, startling a gasp out of the redhead. Kagami had no plans of letting a change in position stop him. He just wrapped his legs around Aomine's bare waist and jutted upwards.

Aomine's head was swimming, and the feel of Kagami's smooth thighs squeezing his sides wasn't helping. "W-wait-"

Kagami growled, pulling Aomine down and kissing him hungrily. "F-for what?"

Aomine, using every shred of willpower, pulled back, his eyes devouring the scene of Kagami's blushing, sweaty face beneath him, staring at him with a mixture of annoyance and lust.

Wait for what? They were in a love hotel, and Aomine knew there was lube and condoms in the drawers; he had checked out of curiosity. Kagami wanted it, hell, Aomine _needed_ it. But…

Kagami didn't know Aomine. Didn't _know_ him, so how could Aomine just… He couldn't. He couldn't go all the way until Kagami knew _everything_. Everything about him and his past. After that, if he still wanted Aomine, then Aomine would be the happiest man alive. But this wasn't right.

"What?" Kagami breathed, feeling a little panicked. Did…did Aomine not want him? Weren't they _dating_? But…was Kagami forcing himself onto him? He felt his cheeks heat with mortification, and he started sliding out from under Aomine, but Aomine stopped him with a hand on his stomach.

"No, Kagami, wait," Aomine leaned down, his forehead touching Kagami's. "I…don't get the wrong idea, please. I want to…I just don't think I can today. You…you mean a lot to me, okay? I don't want our first time being in a shitty love hotel. I want it to be…right."

"Okay," Kagami blinked, feeling his anxiety quell and his embarrassment rise at the corny wording. "Then, we can just sleep…"

Aomine smirked. "Hey, I said I didn't want to go the _whole_ way. We can still have a _little_ fun." He pulled Kagami's legs back up again, letting Kagami lock his ankles behind his back. There was no way he could just fall asleep leaving things like this, and he was sure Kagami couldn't either. He grabbed Kagami's hand, and pressed Kagami's fingers and his own against Kagami's lips. "Suck."

Kagami opened his mouth, feeling his own saliva wet his fingers. Aomine's fingers along with his own felt strange in his mouth, and he had no idea what Aomine was thinking, but when Aomine other hand wrapped both their cocks together and started pumping, Kagami couldn't think anymore himself.

" _Unff_ ," he groaned into the fingers in his mouth, his eyes watering at the friction. Aomine pulled their hands out of his mouth, his dark gaze fixed on Kagami's panting face and the string of saliva that glistened on his skin. He leaned forwards, licking Kagami's chin and meeting his lips in a frenzied kiss. He pulled Kagami's wet hand down, past their erections, and pressed it against Kagami's opening.

Kagami jerked under him, squirmed as the wet feeling of _his own fingers_ entering him overloaded his senses. Aomine's fingers were there too, just inside, stroking and scissoring. Kagami's brain was numbing, and he was gasping into Aomine's mouth with his eyes shut tight. His insides were soft and warm, incredibly tight to his fingers and burning his lower half. It was a weird and foreign feeling, but so _lewd_ that he couldn't stop savouring it shamelessly. Aomine's breathing was hard above him, and the pumping rhythm he had set was stuttering. He felt Aomine's finger push deeper, along with his, and they curled inside when-

" _AHH!_ " Kagami felt the breath knocked out of him as a flash of white momentarily blinded him. Aomine chuckled into his skin, resting his forehead against Kagami's shoulder as he pushed his fingers in again at the same angle. Kagami moaned, his free hand gripping the dirty white sheets under them. He felt Aomine's weight leave his chest, and his hand pressed their cocks together even tighter as his fingers pumped. Kagami didn't know whether to ask him to go faster or slower, so he ended up babbling a mix of unintelligible words into either his own fist as he desperately tried to muffle his screams, or Aomine's mouth when the other decided to suck his tongue. Over and over, the flashes of white grew brighter, and the pressure in his abdomen coiled tightly.

Aomine's groaned. "You feel…so _perfect_ …" _And I'm not even fucking you._ " _Hnn_ … _Taiga…_ "

Kagami lost it when Aomine whispered his name in that deep husky voice, and seeing Kagami clutching his back desperately and coming undone sent Aomine over the edge as well.

They collapsed beside one another, Kagami feeling the strange stickiness on his own fingers and wincing at his soiled chest. He dragged one of the towels they'd discarded onto him and rubbed what he could off, but his movements were groggy.

Aomine draped a hand over him, his nose snuggling Kagami's hair as he pulled the thin blanket over them. "That was great," he whispered tiredly, eyes closed. "We should do it more often."

Kagami smiled at the look of content on his boyfriend's face. They'd ruined the sheets, but right now, the humming of the heater and Kagami's own exhaustion coupled with Aomine's steady breathing against his chest lulled him into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

They'd turned Aomine's phone off to conserve the battery while using Kagami's until it ran out. So when the familiar alarm buzzed, Kagami turned around and slapped around to find his phone. Except he ended up slapping Aomine right in the face.

"Ouch, okay, okay, I'm getting up," Aomine groaned, and Kagami felt him roll around. "Don't be so violent…"

Kagami moaned, his mouth feeling disgusting as he got up and turned the noise off. They didn't have toothpaste here…

"Our clothes have dried," Aomine mumbled. "But I need a shower first."

"Same," Kagami sighed, flopping back down. This wasn't the first time he had woken up with Aomine by his side. It was…nice. It was nice not waking up alone.

 _I'm not alone_. Kagami smiled at the thought.

Aomine smirked. "Wanna take a shower together-"

"No." Kagami threw a pillow at him for good measure. They had a schedule to keep.

* * *

Shuutoku General Hospital.

It was nothing out of the ordinary, just a large white building with block black lettering on the side layered with blue panelled windows and backed by a large parking area. It looked a little like a cake, actually…

Kagami shook his head. He was feeling a little peckish. They had agreed to stop by a convenience store after checking on their car, which was thankfully where they left it. It was still as good as useless, so they'd used public transport. They'd managed to buy toothpaste to freshen up and food for their empty stomachs, but Kagami wasn't feeling his best.

A lot of it was probably to do with the fact that he had finally found Takao, or at least the _place_ Takao wanted him to find.

He glanced at Aomine. The taller man's expression was a little shuttered, his shoulders stiff. Kagami didn't know what was on his mind, but he had to find Takao first and foremost. He opened his mouth to suggest splitting up when Aomine spoke up.

"I think we should split up."

Kagami closed his mouth, nodding. "Yeah, same. We'll cover more ground anyway."

Aomine nodded, shooting him a small smile before walking towards the exit. He walked like he had a _purpose_ , which was strange, since what could Aomine possibly want from what should be a random lead to him? Kagami hadn't mentioned the heroine to anyone.

He decided not to think too hard about it. He had other things to deal with.

* * *

"No one?"

The lady behind the computer shook her head. "No Takao Kazunari in our employee databases, I'm sorry, Detective."

Kagami frowned in disappointment. So either Takao wasn't working here, or he was under another name. Maybe if he described him to her… His eyes widened as they latched onto a short man in nurse scrubs helping an elderly woman sit down. He looked back to the receptionist and smiled. "Okay, thank you for your time."

She blinked dazedly as he took off, making a beeline for the nurse.

"Excuse me, but I don't feel well."

Takao froze, looking up to have his grey gaze lock onto a fiery red one. He felt his heartbeat quicken. This was it. This was his chance. He smiled, and it wasn't as forced as he thought it may have been. "Yes, of course. Please come with me."

He silently walked through a door in the back with Kagami at his heels, ducking into an empty hospital room and closing the door behind him after nonchalantly checking his surroundings for a lack of green hair. He turned around and grinned at Kagami.

"Miss me?"

* * *

Aomine wasn't sure if Akashi knew he was here or not. Chances were high he did, but Aomine couldn't change that. Hopefully Akashi wasn't getting suspicious, but right now, Aomine needed to get to Midorima. He marched straight into the hospital like he belonged there, and asked for Midorima's whereabouts with a discreet flash of his badge.

The damn doctor was apparently in the middle of surgery, but it would finish soon. Aomine was asked to wait in the waiting room. He nodded and walked away, but he had no intention of listening. He wanted Midorima somewhere secluded, alone.

His eyes flashed as he saw a nurse wheeling a trolley full of equipment and uniforms into the lift.

"Hold the door!" he smiled, running inside.

He'd always wanted to play doctor as a kid.

* * *

Kagami took the vial out of his jacket pocket. The jacket hadn't dried completely, and left some moisture on the plastic bottle. But they could both clearly see the powder inside.

"Care to explain _now_?"

Takao smiled nervously. "Sorry for all the cryptid clues but I…I was never really sure whether I should involve you or not…"

"Involve me?" Kagami scrunched his nose. "I'm the police!"

"That's precisely why," Takao sighed, sitting down on the empty bed. "I…I never wanted to be involved in it myself, but now it's gotten a little out of hand, and I need help. Not help from just the police, but from a _friend_." He bit his lip. "The whole heroine thing, it was like a test. To see if you really cared, _personally_ , to come looking for me. I swore I would tell you if you made it. And here you are."

Kagami couldn't help but smile a little, and he sat beside Takao. "Here I am."

"The person I work for, the one who gave me this job, a new identity…" Takao began, and Kagami tensed, knowing something important was coming. "He saved my life. You remember that time I got shot but I ran away before you could take me to the hospital?" Takao recalled with a wry grin. "Yeah, he found me a bleeding mess. Took me to his house and patched me up and said he would kick me out the whole time but never did."

"And he's the bad guy?" Kagami asked. "The drug dealer?"

Takao hesitated. "He helps to keep the operation underground, using the hospital as a front. Over here, drugs are used for everything, so he helps keep it secret. He…he doesn't _want_ to be like this. It's complicated."

"Who is he-?"

"I can't tell you his name," Takao shook his head. "I don't want to get him in trouble, I want him to _stop_. And the only way he'll do that is if the real drug dealer is caught and out of the picture. The guy I'm talking about, take it like him being blackmailed, okay? It's not his fault."

Kagami had never seen Takao's face so distraught before, and it was unsettling. Even after the man had gotten _shot_ , he hadn't showed this much distress and anxiety. "Okay, I won't go after him. But who _should_ I go after?"

Takao looked into Kagami's determined gaze thoughtfully. _If I tell him Akashi is behind all of this, the idiot will probably barge into Akashi's office with no proof, and blow the whole thing. I have to…edge him into it. Start with something he can work with._

Kagami was looking at him quizzically, waiting for an answer.

"Hara Kazuya." Takao got up, straightening his clothes. "He runs the distribution of illegal drugs in Tokyo. He's one of the linchpins to the Kiseki's rising operations, and I think his family's been in the business for a while, always avoiding arrest," he added with a twist of his lips. _Hara_ had been an unspoken name that anyone who had ever been involved in drugs would have heard at least once. "He's got a warehouse nearby, but Kagami, you have _got_ to be careful." Takao stared at him straight in the eye. "Don't do anything rash. Call your men or whatever, storm the place, I don't care. But don't do anything stupid, I can see this case has you on edge as well. I'm trusting you." A small spark was back in his eyes. "I think if you get Hara, you'll get some answers."

"Hara Kazuya, huh?" Kagami rolled the name on his tongue. Would this be the man who could give him what he was looking for? He slapped Takao on the back. "Thanks Takao."

"Wait," Takao grabbed his wrist. "Give me your phone."

Kagami handed it over curiously and watched Takao type in an address, before he went to the contacts function and punched in a number.

He handed it back with a smirk. "The warehouse address, and remember that you didn't get this from me. Also, my phone number. In case you need to call. I think it's about time I trusted you with that."

Kagami grinned back, feeling happier with a solid lead in his hands again. "Thanks Takao. Really."

* * *

The door cracked open and Midorima stepped through, sighing as he shrugged his doctors' coat off. It was dark, the blinds being drawn tightly shut. He flipped the light of his personal office on, and turned around.

His stomach dropped.

Aomine leaned against his table, absently picking at his nails. He looked up in mild surprise, as if it was _his_ office and Midorima had just wandered in.

"What are you doing?" Midorima's voice was cold, not from lack of emotion but rather because he was trying to hide it all.

"You see, I'd like to ask you the same thing," Aomine stood up, and Midorima finally realised Aomine was wearing a doctors coat like his own. He'd even snagged a badge, but it was too small for Midorima to read. It shouldn't have surprised him. Pickpocketing had been one of Aomine's strong suits.

"Why are you here?"

"To talk," Aomine said forcefully. "You shot Kagami, didn't you?"

Midorima grit his teeth, leaning against the door. "I was never going to hurt him. It was a warning shot. You know my accuracy."

Aomine sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, yeah. Look, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to tell you that we can stop this. All of this. We can stop Akashi, before he gets too far."

Midorima froze, his eyes instinctively flitting around him as though an ambush would spring at any moment. From where and by whom, he didn't know, but he felt uneasy at the mere mention of going against Akashi. "Don't joke around, Aomine."

"I'm not," Aomine's eyes were hard, resolute, and Midorima was a little taken aback. Aomine was serious. Midorima had never pegged Aomine as the type to take the risk, not when it came to Akashi. Aomine…he was the kind to take the path of least resistance, do whatever was necessary but what wouldn't cause him too much trouble. Going against Akashi was definitely not that path.

"You've changed," Midorima huffed. _Was it because of the new company you keep? I wonder._ Out loud, he continued, "But sadly, I haven't. My family has been with the Akashis for generations, always helping from the shadows. Why would _I_ do otherwise?"

"Because you're different," Aomine shrugged. "I feel like we all are. Even _Kise_ agrees with me. We were roped into it as kids but…we can make our own decisions now. This Akashi, he's not…normal. And somehow, even _Hanamiya_ is in on it." Aomine never dropped his gaze, and Midorima was feeling pressured to drop his. "Do you really want to keep doing this? Even when you have the power not to? Don't _you_ have anything…any _one_ to protect?"

Midorima swallowed thickly, trying to keep his voice low even as anger and frustration begged him to shout. "It's _because_ I care about others that I can't go against Akashi. Aomine…you _know_ this. Akashi has enough information on our involvement with the Kiseki from _years ago._ It's enough to throw us all in jail and…" He couldn't believe his voice had just cracked. He cleared his throat. "And then what? At the moment, at least by doing what Akashi wants, we have our freedom."

"Freedom? You call this freedom?" Aomine scoffed, a pained light in his eyes. "I call it cowardice. And trust me, I know cowardice like the back of my fucking hand."

Midorima's green gaze followed Aomine as he placed a slip of paper on the table behind him.

"You live and hide in a prison of lies." Aomine's voice were poison to Midorima's ears. Poisoned with truth. "And this is your ticket out."

And with that, he pushed past Midorima and left.

The doctor walked up to the paper, folding it out with trembling fingers. It was a phone number, Aomine's no doubt.

Midorima sighed. _Even Kise huh?_ He scrunched the paper in his fist, his knuckles white and his nose burning. How long would he stay in this bubble of his?

He threw the ball of paper in the bin behind his desk. He didn't need to look to know it has gone in.

He'd memorised the number anyway.

* * *

 **Comments are love. Find me on tumblr at theeventideabyss for aokaga, and at thetranscendentabyss for everything else!**


	10. Chapter 10: Haste

**YOU GUYS TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT HIMURO DIDN'T YOU don't lie I know ;)**

 **Well lucky for you, I haven't forgotten about that pretty boy, because he's pretty important to the plot too.**  
 **But I'll shut up now. Enjoy this plot filled installment!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Haste**

Kagami looked up from where he was sitting on a bench as Aomine walked out of the main hospital doors. The blue haired man's expression was unreadable, but there was some tension around his lips as though he was gritting his teeth.

"Didn't get anything useful, huh?" Kagami smirked and Aomine sighed.

Aomine shrugged. "Not really."

"Well lucky for you, I was more productive, so we can get moving," Kagami stood up, dusting his clothes. "But maybe we should go somewhere else before I say anything out here," he added with a furtive glance around them.

Aomine nodded silently, clearly still deep in thought.

Kagami cocked his head. "Everything alright?"

"A-ah, yeah…" Aomine hesitated. _Should I tell him? But where do I even start? Maybe I should hear what he has to say first._ "Let's go."

* * *

"What…?"

"You heard what I said," Kagami said quietly, wiping his hands on a napkin. They were sitting at the back of a quaint restaurant, finishing up a mountain of sandwiches. They had been starving, and now finally had some downtime to catch up.

"Yeah, I did. I just…" Aomine pinched his nose. " _Hara._ Do you even know what that means?"

"Well, I guess I'd have to see what characters they use to write the name-"

"No, you dumbass," Aomine clicked his tongue. "I think you forgot that up until a very short while ago, I was in Narcotics. The Hara family is…well, they're one of the main organisations, if not the leading one, when it comes to distribution in Tokyo."

Kagami hummed. Takao had said something similar. It didn't matter, Kagami would do anything to bring those bastards in. Anything to get answers out of them. Even if it was bending the rules a little.

Aomine sighed. "Imayoshi was starting to get antsy a few months back when their activity dropped off the grid completely, like what was happening with most of the Tokyo gangs," he leaned back in his chair a little, chewing his lip in contemplation. _Could this be related to Akashi directly? Makes sense though…if it's Hara…_ Out loud, he continued, "We'd been chasing them for months when they just disappeared. And now you have a fucking _location!_ Where did you get this information anyway?"

Kagami paused. "My CI."

Aomine's eyes widened. "He works there? He's the one that gave you that Shuutoku lead, right?" Kagami didn't respond but Aomine's mind was working overtime.

Kagami's confidential informant was the same guy who had led Kagami into that area in Ikebukuro, where Midorima had fired those warning shots. Which meant his CI was working _with_ Midorima, and that would also explain all this knowledge about the drug trade the guy was telling Kagami. But Midorima…he hadn't seemed ready to give up any sort of information, let alone to a cop he didn't even know. Which could only mean Midorima's subordinate was helping Kagami, without telling Midorima. Aomine was unsure if the CI knew about Akashi or not, but either way, it was a gutsy move.

Aomine laughed dryly. "Fuck, Kagami. Your CI has balls."

Kagami snorted. "Yes, well, he _is_ a guy." At the annoyed look Aomine sent him, Kagami smiled back. "I know, I'm kidding. He does, and I don't want to let him down."

Aomine steepled his fingers together. "So, we gonna tell the boss are not?"

Kagami hesitated, squirming under Aomine's scrutiny. "Yeah, of course." He would've preferred keeping it to themselves, getting some more information…but Aomine was probably right. Kagami took his phone out but Aomine slapped his hand on it. "What?"

"Let's use the payphone," Aomine insisted. "Your battery will die soon-"

"It's on thirty percent, it's fine-"

"Please," Aomine stood up, taking out a few loose coins. He was somewhat sure Akashi had bugged his phone, but he knew for certain that Kagami's was hacked. And he was _not_ going to let Akashi take this lead from them.

Kagami followed him, shooting him strange glances. Aomine punched in the number on the payphone that idled beside the shop, and held the receiver to his ear.

 _We'll get one up on you this time, Akashi._

* * *

"This is nice."

"My apartment, or Momoi-san's leads?" Riko drawled, her eyes following Imayoshi as he peered at the modern art she hung on her walls, and brushed imaginary dust off her leather couch before sitting down on it with a relaxed sigh.

The bespectacled man smiled at her, waving the piece of paper in the air. "Both. Some of these names are surprising though. Some, not so much. Honestly, I was expecting to see Hara in this list," his squinting eyes narrowed further. "But that politician Seto? Interesting."

"Yeah, we'll have to keep an eye on him for sure." Riko paused when she felt her phone vibrate. "One second," she squinted at the unknown number, answering it cautiously. "Hello…?"

The line crackled a little. "Hey, it's Aomine."

"Aomine-kun." Riko met Imayoshi's curious gaze with a raised eyebrow. "Any news?"

"Uh, yeah. Say, where are you right now?"

"In my apartment. It's a Sunday, and even higher-ups need breaks," Riko snorted. "Well, Imayoshi-san is here though. We think we've got some leads so get back here and I can bring you up to speed."

"Imayoshi's here?" Aomine's voice was a little gravelly over the connection. "Yeah, Kagami one minute, let me tell them…"

" _Chief, put it on speaker!_ " Kagami's voice sounded from the background.

"Okay," Riko sat down beside Imayoshi and placed the mobile on the table, switched to speakerphone.

Aomine cleared his throat. "We got a location of a potential drug operation down here, in a warehouse. We believe it's headed by a member of the Hara family."

Riko's eyes widened, and Imayoshi leaned forwards. "You're sure?"

"Fairly certain."

"This is big," Riko hissed. "Okay, boys, sit tight. Under _no_ circumstances are you to go there by yourselves, got it? We don't know what we're dealing with here. Aomine-kun, give it to Kagami-kun."

"Yes Chief?" Kagami asked cautiously.

"Kagami-kun, I don't care about your feelings here, alright? You wait there, in one spot, and you wait for backup. This might be a big step forwards for us and we can't afford to stuff it up."

"What if we just scout-"

" _No._ Kagami-kun, no." Riko massaged her forehead. She had to be careful now. They had started to step even closer into Kagami's personal territory, into an area of the investigation where Kagami was bound to act more on impulse and emotion than reason. And she couldn't have that compromise their case. "We will assemble a tactical team as fast as possible, and we'll be there late tonight. We'll have to move carefully. One wrong move will send them all packing and running, and we have to catch them in the act. So you stay in one place until we get there, okay?"

Kagami sighed. "Fine."

"Give it to Aomine-kun," Riko said, continuing when she heard Aomine over the receiver. "Aomine-kun, keep an eye on Kagami-kun. He can be a bit rash sometimes, but maybe you can keep his head on straight."

"Kagami, rash?" Aomine sounded a little confused. Riko hesitated. Seemed like he didn't know how personally invested Kagami was in this. She wondered when Kagami would tell him, if ever. "But sure, we'll just hang around here until you guys get here."

"Okay, good. Stay safe," she disconnected and got up, stretching her back. "Can't even get a quiet Sunday in, can I?"

Imayoshi chuckled softly. "And what tactical team can we assemble on a Sunday and with such short notice?"

Riko pursed her lips. "When my father was in the force, more specifically when he was investigating the Kiseki Syndicate, he used one specific team for all his raids. I think if I pull some strings and jog a little memory, his old team will be happy to come with me." She grinned. "I already have the leader's number. I thought I'd need them sometime."

"Yes, well, won't they be _old_?" Imayoshi scrunched his nose. "That was ten years ago, wasn't it?"

Riko rolled her eyes. "The team has new members, but the unit leader is still the same. And he's just a little older than us. Wait and see." Her finger flickered over the keypad and she held the phone to her ear. "Ah, is this Matsumoto Itsuki? Do you remember Aida Kagetora…? Yes, that's right. It's Aida Riko, his daughter, from Homicide. I'm going to need a favour."

* * *

"She told you to keep an eye on me, didn't she?" Kagami scowled.

Aomine shrugged, walking quietly beside him back to the motel they had originally stayed in. It was relatively cheap and somewhat clean. They could kill time there without attracting too much attention.

"I don't need a babysitter."

Aomine picked up Kaagmi's hostile tone. "What's wrong? Just because you thought we should scout it out before, and she disagreed? It's not like you aren't going to listen to that lady." When Kagami didn't respond, Aomine squinted. "Right?"

Kagami kicked the ground.

Aomine stopped walking. "Kagami, you've been a bit off this whole time."

" _I've_ been off?" Kagami snorted, stopping as well. "You wanted to use a payphone!"

"At least I had a proper reason," Aomine ruffled his hair. "Chief's right, you're acting a little reckless. I understand you're restless, and you want to bring these guys in, but we have to lay low and follow orders."

Kagami shook his head. "Scouting the area isn't going to hurt. We can just see how many there are, see if we can get a few photos-"

"Kagami, _no_ ," Aomine walked past him and Kagami stalked after him, grumbling.

The love hotel looked a bit less suspicious in the daylight, although the peeling paint and loose roof tiles still gave it a bit rundown sense. They pushed the door open.

"Back again?" the girl from last night was still there, like she had been when they checked out in the morning. This time she was wearing a spaghetti strapped top and Kagami wondered how she never seemed to be cold in this weather. Maybe it was the packets of cigarettes she was constantly burning through.

Kagami took out his wallet as she tossed them the keys to the same room as last night.

"We haven't cleaned it," she drawled. "So just take it again."

Kagami handed the keys to Aomine. "You go up first."

"Excuse me?" Aomine crossed his arms. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Naughty," the girl leered but they ignored her.

"I'm just dropping by the pharmacy. I have a headache," Kagami explained, feeling a nerve tick in his forehead. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, then you can chase after me. You know the location."

Aomine peered at him suspiciously, before huffing and going up the stairs. "Fine. Be quick."

"What do you want, handsome?" the girl inquired when Kagami stared at her.

"Can you keep something between us? I think you can help me," Kagami leaned on the table, flinching a little when it creaked.

She grinned, her dull teeth contrasting against her glossy lips. "Your boyfriend not performing in bed? I've got just the thing-"

"No, no, I need something more…discreet," Kagami waved his hand, his stomach clenching at the implication. But he had to do this. It was the only way he could go where he wanted. He couldn't risk the operation moving anywhere in the next few hours. The information he had was _fresh_. He'd track them if they moved, and inform the Chief of any changes in location. He bit his lip.

 _Sorry, Aomine._

* * *

Aomine was feeling a bit uneasy, glancing at his watch and deciding to go after Kagami when there was a knock on the door. He sighed in relief, opening it and letting Kagami in. The redhead was carrying two cups of coffee, handing one to Aomine as the two sat down on the bed.

"The pharmacy was close," Kagami said. "Thought we could use something hot to drink as well, given this chill."

"You sure it's okay to have this with painkillers," Aomine smirked, sipping the cappuccino.

Kagami shrugged. "Yeah. I'm…I'm sorry I've been a bit weird, Aomine."

Aomine looked at Kagami with warm eyes. "Nah, it's cool. You going to tell me what's up, though? You don't have to…" he added, thinking of his own secrets. He _would_ tell Kagami. He _wanted_ to. Maybe…maybe now was the right time. He took another long swig, feeling the warm coffee slide down his throat and calm his nerves. "Kagami-"

"Aomine, this case is very personal," Kagami said over him. "To an extent you don't know. So…I have to do this." Kagami's voice was strange, strained. His eyes were pained, and he was frowning.

"What do you…mean…? Unghh…" Aomine pressed a hand against his head. Weird. The room was spinning. He drank a little more of the coffee, noticing a strange sour aftertaste in it for the first time.

"So I hope you'll forgive me," Kagami took the near empty cup from Aomine's weak grip, placing a hand against Aomine's chest and pushing him back so that his head thumped gently against the mattress.

Aomine's body felt heavy…he couldn't move… Of course. Kagami had drugged him, and obviously Aomine had never suspected it. _So he'll go to such lengths? What's so important to him…about this case…?_ He closed his eyes. Could he really be angry, after all he had hid from Kagami? Maybe he deserved this.

"See you soon. You can yell at me then," Kagami said softly, and Aomine felt lips brush against his cheek lightly. "But I have to do this. For my mother."

The last thing Aomine heard before he passed out was the sound of the door gently clicking shut.

* * *

"You're good at this. And it's only been a week, right?"

Himuro looked up from where he was wiping the drink glasses, smiling. "Ah, Okamura-senpai, you're too kind."

"No, I mean it!" the large man slapped him on the back and Himuro tried to keep in a groan of pain. "You know, I originally became a bartender because I thought it would make me popular with the girls," he sipped the drink Himuro had prepared as a practice run. "But a pretty boy like you has no problem in that area, does he? So what got you into the business?"

"I just like the atmosphere," Himuro said truthfully. "You get to talk to strangers, learn about them, and maybe even make friends. I help people run away from their fears, and sometimes talking to me helps them to face their problems."

"Why not become a shrink?" Okamura grinned.

"I like the outfit," Himuro winked and Okamura guffawed, slamming his large hand on the table. Himuro winced at the sound of glass rattling. Everything was expensive here, at his new workplace. He'd been busy learning the comings and goings, and his long shifts as well as learning on the job left him bone tired. But this place was…interesting.

Yosen, an exclusive club and bar for Tokyo's top one percent. It was new, it had only opened last week, but every night it teemed with the rich and famous and sometimes even the slightly shady. The man who had hired Himuro almost as casually as one ordered pizza was seen very rarely.

Murasakibara Atsushi. Himuro couldn't understand him. At first glance, he seemed to just be a lazy guy obsessed with eating. But if he owned a club as big on the scene as Yosen, he'd had to have something to his name. And Himuro wanted to find out exactly what.

He looked in front of him, where a well-built man was trying to make origami cranes out of the napkins. Okamura Kenichi, big and scary but honestly a softie at heart. The man couldn't hurt a fly. He was the main bartender, and Himuro's mentor in a sense. It was a Sunday afternoon, and the club opened in a few hours, but Himuro wanted to experiment with drinks a little and Okamura was humouring him.

But for all his goofiness, the man seemed to have some wisdom even in his relatively young years.

"Himuro, I'll be honest," he spoke up. "I don't know if you're suited for Yosen." At Himuro's shocked expression, he continued. "You're a good bartender, and a good person. The second part's the problem. 'Yosen' may be new, but the club itself isn't. It's just got a new name and new management."

Himuro leaned forwards with interest, replacing Okamura's cocktail with another one. The man could get talkative.

"I've been in this kind of business, this fancy club shit, for a few years now, and these places are shitholes at the best of times," Okumura's gaze darkened. "And things haven't been all fun and games lately either."

"What do you mean?" Himuro asked curiously.

Okamura opened his mouth as though he was going to clarify, but his eyes met someone else's behind Himuro and he stood up suddenly. "Boss, you're in early."

Himuro turned around to nearly collide into a purple haired giant. "Hmm…" the man hummed, eating chips from a packet. "I just wanted to see how Muro-chin was doing."

"You have found true talent," Okamura nodded. "Well, I think that's enough for today, Himuro. I'll start getting the rooms ready for opening."

"We still have time…" Himuro trailed off when Okamura left without another word. _Weird_. He glanced at Murasakibara, who was sitting at the bar.

Magenta eyes met his. "So…how's work? More fun than that other place, right? Also, can you make me something sweet to drink?"

"Of course. I am enjoying myself quite a bit, Atsushi, thank you," Himuro started making a mocktail. Everyone had been scandalised to hear him call their boss by his first name on his first day, but in America where he had grown up, he had always called his bosses by their first names. And Murasakibara didn't seem to mind at all. Plus, that surname was such a mouthful. He handed the drink over. He was getting faster at making them.

"That's good," Murasakibara mumbled, but Himuro was unsure if he was talking about the drink or Himuro's mood. "Muro-chin, we're going to have someone important over tonight…"

Himuro looked up at the unexpected information. They had someone important over almost every night, from politicians to celebrities. For Murasakibara to mention a person specifically, they must've been _very_ important.

"So be on your best behaviour, okay, Muro-chin?" Murasakibara's gaze was sharp, contrary to his relaxed pose. "Aka-chin can get really cranky, and nobody likes it when he's cranky."

Himuro swallowed at the words. He had no idea who 'Aka-chin' was, but it didn't sit well with him. He wiped his hands on the towel.

For some reason, they had started sweating.

* * *

Momoi took a deep breath, staring up at the tall, sail-shaped building that rose above her. The clean glass façade reflected all the other buildings around it, the afternoon sun causing the pointed tip to shine like a beacon that stung her eyes. It seemed to stand out in a sparkling and untouchable kind of way. The building didn't even have a name on it. Everyone knew what this building was.

Momoi tucked a stray strand behind her ear and marched forwards, head held high. Her knuckles were white where she griped her purse.

The woman at the front desk looked up, her mascara lined eyes bored and her red lips pulling into a service smile. "Welcome to Akashi Enterprises. How may I help you today, ma'am?"

"I'm here to see Akashi Seijuro," Momoi said simply, pulling her shoulders back.

The woman's smile wavered a little. "Do you have an appointment, Miss…?"

"No." Momoi knew she'd be told to wait for a response if she called and asked to set an appointment. A response that would never come. "Just tell him Momoi Satsuki is here and I'm sure he'll be happy to meet me."

"That's not how this works, Momoi-san," the woman said calmly. "Akashi-sama is a busy man, and I need to set an appropriate appointment-"

"Momoi-san, long time no see."

The cool voice was nostalgic to Momoi's ears, and the face of the woman in front of her paled even more than the makeup she was wearing on it.

The receptionist bolted up and bowed lowly. "A-Akashi-sama…I didn't know you knew her…"

Momoi turned around to meet that unsettling dichromatic gaze. Akashi smiled at her, his hair combed cleanly and his suit pressed. He looked so professional, so different from their childhood that Momoi had to blink a little to get used to it. But those eyes were the same.

Akashi ignored the receptionist, keeping his eyes on Momoi. "This is unexpected, but not unwelcome. What brings you here?"

"J-just wanted to talk." Momoi hated how she stammered, but Akashi…he was different. He looked calm and approachable, but there was an aura around him that Momoi couldn't find the words for. It made her feel a little suffocated, like she was being _assessed_.

"Of course. Let's go to my office, shall we?" Akashi turned around. That was when Momoi noticed another man standing beside him. He had pale hair and emotionless eyes that made Momoi shiver with discomfort.

He reminded her of Kuroko…but the feeling was _wrong_.

Something was off. She could feel it in her gut. But she pushed down her instinct to run and walked beside Akashi to the executive elevator at the back, feeling the other man shadowing them.

She turned around in the elevator, Akashi on her right, the taller man on her left.

And then, she remembered this feeling. It was like when they were back in middle school, after Akashi's mother had died, and everything in their lives shifted in some invisible way that Momoi could never pinpoint. When Akashi had changed.

This feeling, Akashi's aura…

It was oppression. Fear.

Momoi was _scared_ , and Akashi was the _cause_.

As the elevator doors closed in front of her, she closed her eyes.

She needed answers, and she was going to get them one way or another.

* * *

 **PLOT YES? Is it getting faster? I hope it's getting faster.**

 **Don't worry, nobody's dying. Yet. NO I'M JOKING, I would have put in a warning if people were dying. Relax guys. It's cool.**

 **I'm a slut for comments.**  
 **Yes, I did just say that.**  
 **No, I don't regret it.**  
 **Yes, I am sleep deprived.**

 **For tons of AoKaga drabbles and shit, visit my tumblr at theeventideabyss! For my personal tumblr, go to thetranscendentabyss!**


	11. Chapter 11: Consequences

**Chapter 11: Consequences**

Akashi pressed his thumb against a panel near the lift buttons, and a slow hum filled the space as the elevator began to ascend. Momoi felt claustrophobic, even though there was ample space for her to move around, but half a minute later she felt the familiar swoon in her gut as the elevator stopped.

"Welcome to my office," Akashi said as soon as the doors opened, revealing a large room bordered with floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass desk. There were black couches with a coffee table and wooden flooring with an assortment of rugs. It looked more like a penthouse than an office. Akashi opened his mouth to speak, when a gentle vibrating thrum sounded in the air. He gestured for Momoi to take a seat, taking his mobile out of his pocket and walking away.

Pink eyes focused on the other man in the room, a tall and slim person with faded hair and pale eyes. His gaze met hers and she felt a little uneasy looking at his expressionless face.

"Do you want something to drink?"

She blinked. The voice had been so quiet and disinterested that she wasn't sure she had heard correctly. She shook her head with a smile, and he shrugged. "What's your name?" she asked hesitantly.

"Mayuzumi," he responded curtly, not bothering with asking her back.

"I'm Momoi," she said anyway. "I went to the same middle school as Akashi-kun."

That seemed to spark some interest in that blank gaze. "Middle school, huh?"

Momoi nodded. "What do you do for Akashi? Are you his secretary?"

Mayuzumi scowled at that, his eyes flitting away. "Secretary?" he scoffed. "That's putting it mildly. I guess I'm many things, but in the end, just another thing for him to use."

"Sorry?" Momoi leaned forwards, eyebrows scrunched.

"No, it's nothing," Mayuzumi pressed his lips together and turned around to look out the window. It was clear to her that she wouldn't be getting anything more out of the man.

* * *

" _What?_ " Akashi snapped into his phone.

"You heard what I said," the man on the other end calmly reported. "Aida just called me. And with the location she's given me, it's definitely Hara's drop point. Whoever this Kagami guy is, he's got contacts. Isn't the other one, Aomine, isn't he one of yours?"

Akashi looked back quickly, but Momoi was busy making small talk with Mayuzumi to be paying him any attention. "Yes, that's what I thought as well. We'll see. Where are they getting their information from?" he wondered aloud. He knew Kagami and Aomine were going to see Midorima, but he also knew Midorima wasn't stupid enough to defy him and give up such an important location, and yet there were few other people who knew this address as well.

Which reminded him…he hadn't checked up on Kagami's phone in a while.

"Thank you, Matsumoto. It is good to have someone as high up as you with me on this." He walked over to his computer. "I'm going to tell Hara to move his goods. It won't do well for Aida to find them."

"Okay," Matsumoto's voice was a little unsure. "We're on our way down though. We'll be there in around two hours."

"Then stall," Akashi grit out. "Maybe have them regroup at some other place. Wait for Hara's all-clear before you move in." He smiled as another thought occurred to him. "It'll also lend Kagami's words less credibility if it is empty when he gets there. He's been a thorn in my side for too long."

Matsumoto sighed. "Alright then."

"I'll let Hara know now," Akashi disconnected the call and logged into his system. This was how he got into all the other systems he had hacked. Akashi Enterprises had software _everywhere_ , prisons and governments and businesses. And he had access to all of it.

There it was, on Kagami Taiga's phone, an electronic note with the address of Hara's warehouse and also a new blank contact with a phone number that Akashi didn't recognise. _Is this the source of your information, Kagami?_

Akashi coughed politely. "I'm sorry, Momoi-san, but something urgent has come up. I'll have Chihiro show you the way back."

"Wait!" Momoi stood up, frowning. "It's important, Akashi-kun. I…I just need an answer from you."

"For what question?" Akashi looked up at her.

Momoi took a deep breath. "Your father…he was part of the Kiseki Syndicate, wasn't he?" When Akashi didn't respond, she bit her lip and continued. "I-It came up, in my research. Your surname kept cropping up, your father and such. I'm not accusing you of anything but…" her hands curled into fists. "All I want to do is make sure that it's in the past now."

Akashi regarded her silently, his eyes not betraying a shred of emotion. Then he stood up from his seat and smiled. "You are very smart, Momoi-san. My father was accused on multiple occasions during my youth, but neither the police nor I have ever found evidence to convict him." He stepped around his desk and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Momoi swallowed.

"Sometimes, people can be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Akashi said coolly. "Rest assured, Momoi-san, I am not involved. Now, Chihiro, please show our guest out."

* * *

Kagami crouched low behind the dumpster, scrunching his nose when the smell of rotting waste hit him. This position was nostalgic, since just a few days ago he was hiding from a shooter behind a dumpster. No one would be shooting at him now. Hopefully.

It was what looked like a typical warehouse, one in a row of about half a dozen. This particular one had 'SHIZUKA PRINTING HOUSE' emblazoned on the side in stencilled white. The area was quiet, a ways off from the main road. The building was originally part of a printing press, and had been abandoned when the business either went bankrupt or moved further into Tokyo city centre. It had taken him a while to catch a bus and then walk all the way here. He was sure Riko would be on the way down and reaching soon, so he had to quickly scope the place and then get back to their temporary base.

He felt a guilty pang just thinking about Aomine, but he had to do this alone. This was _his_ problem. The Kiseki… _he_ had a bone to pick with them. Aomine had nothing to do with it.

There was a ladder on the side of one the buildings, and it rattled slightly as Kagami grabbed onto the rails and hauled himself up. The top of the ladder gave way onto a gangway that bordered the whole warehouse, providing a clear view into the operations below.

Kagami ducked instantly. There were people. Maybe two or three dozen, all milling about, moving wooden crates and backing up trucks. He took out his phone and snapped a few pictures. The number plates of the trucks, at least to the highest clarity he could capture them, and the men and women working on moving them. He couldn't see much detail from above, but it was clear they were transporting some kind of goods. And he had a good guess what kind they were.

* * *

Hara Kazuya was a simple man.

He liked chewing mint gum. He liked taking long walks on the beach. He liked money.

He did _not_ like last minute orders.

But Hara Kazuya was a loyal man, at least to his boss.

"Two hours?" he blew a green bubble, and it popped loudly.

"Three, if Matsumoto manages to stall long enough," the voice on the other end was firm. "No trace is to remain. Move all the contraband to our backup location. You _cannot_ be caught by Aida, and Matsumoto can only do so much."

"But Akashi…" Hara chewed a bit more. "Didn't Matsumoto do just fine with Aida ten years ago? Thanks to him, I wasn't caught back then either. What makes this time any different?"

"This isn't Aida Kagetora, it's his daughter," Akashi growled. "And this isn't the Kiseki of my father's time, it's _mine_. Now get your head out of ' _ten years ago_ ' and get moving."

Hara's eyes narrowed, not that it could be seen due to his low lying fringe. "Sure thing. See ya." He typed another number into his phone motioned to his men to speed up the process. Two hours was a bit much, but thankfully, they had already started moving their goods long before Akashi's call.

"Hello." The man who answered had a calm voice, unsettled by the fact that he was getting a call from one of the country's foremost drug dealers.

"Akashi just told me to move this shit to his backup location. But I'm still moving it to _your_ location, yeah?"

"Of course, my plans haven't changed a bit," the man agreed. "Matsumoto also informed me of this new development. Akashi seems to be a little worried lately. That's good. It means he'll stuff up."

Hara grinned. "It's good to have you back, Boss. I fucking hate working for that brat, but unfortunately he's only half the idiot his old man was."

"Patience is a virtue, my dear friend," the man chuckled coldly. "Keep me posted."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Hara Kazuya was loyal to his boss.

But who ever said Akashi Seijurou was his boss in the first place?

* * *

Aomine groaned, the buzzing in his head irritating him.

Oh, no. That was his phone.

He blinked his eyes open, rolling onto his side and trying to regain his bearings. He felt like he'd been sleeping for a long time, even though he could see some sunlight filtering through the blinds.

 _Kagami closed the blinds for me_ , he thought with a smile. _He also drugged me_ , he added with a small frown.

Aomine's phone wouldn't stop vibrating. His hand snaked into his pocket and he answered it.

"Hello…?" he mumbled.

"Thank god, I've been trying to call you for fifteen minutes!"

He'd know that voice anywhere. "What…whassup Chief?"

Riko paused. "Are you _drunk_?"

"Ah…" Aomine closed his eyes. "I don't think so…? Drugged maybe…" _Ah no, don't get Kagami in trouble, you dumbass_.

"What?" she sounded shocked. "Where's Kagami-kun? His phone is turned off!"

"H-he's here…totally…" Aomine sat up with a moan. He felt a little drowsy, but at least his limbs were working.

"He went off by himself, didn't he?" It was framed as a question, but didn't sound like one. Before Aomine could reject the notion, Riko sighed heavily. Her voice was resigned when she spoke. "I was afraid it would come to this. Ever since I told him about this operation, it's been bugging me. He's too involved, and we all know bringing our personal lives into our work will only cause trouble."

"Personal lives?" Aomine was more awake now. "What are you talking about?"

"Sorry, I was…kind of talking to myself," she muttered. "Meet me near Shuutoku General Hospital. Matsumoto is going to be in charge of this raid, and he wants us to regroup there first. Don't ask me why, he's the expert here. I'm going to keep trying to contact Kagami, maybe we can meet him right at the site. Let's hope for his own good he can follow those orders at least."

She disconnected and Aomine stared at his phone. _Matsumoto? I feel like I've heard that name before…_ He shrugged. It was a fairly common name, and he was probably just imagining things. He got to his feet slowly and checked that he hadn't left anything behind.

He doubted he'd be coming back here any time soon.

* * *

Kagami had scoped all the other buildings in the area, but it seemed as though the first one was where all the activity was focused. He started making his way back, switching his phone back on to check the bus timetable. He didn't want to risk it going off and alerting his position during his recon.

He gawked at the screen in shock. _15 missed calls? Fuck. It's Chief_.

He called back, biting his lip.

"Kagami-kun," Riko said instantly when she picked up. "Meet us at Shuutoku General Hospital. We're nearly there."

"Okay," he said simply, dreading her flat tone of voice.

He was there in less than thirty minutes, seeing the familiar police registered Mitsubishi and a couple of unrecognisable black vans parked on the road besides the building. Riko was leaning on her car and talking to another man, taller and older, with slightly tanned skin and very short hair.

Aomine was there too.

"Chief," Kagami nodded, pushing down the unease he felt in his gut.

Riko took a deep breath and turned around. "This is Matsumoto Itsuki, he's going to be leading the operation here. He's done it for years, and he worked alongside my father to try and bring down the original Kiseki."

Kagami nodded at the man.

"This is Kagami Taiga, one of our detectives. You've already met Aomine."

Matsumoto grunted. "We should get moving then," he said. "We're going to have to check each building there, section by section. Leave it to my men." He walked off to one of his cars, and Riko shot Kagami a silent look before following.

Kagami glanced at Aomine. "Aomine, I…"

"Don't worry about it, not right now," Aomine smiled at him. "There's…lots of things we don't know about each other. I think we need to come clean, but let's get these guys first, yeah?"

Kagami nodded, feeling slightly better. He grinned back. "Yeah."

* * *

It was empty. All of it.

They had started at the beginning of the line, and although Kagami had hinted that the building they were looking for was further in, Matsumoto had been adamant to search from top to bottom of every building they passed.

And by the time they got to the real one, there was nothing there. All those people, all those crates and trucks, gone.

Kagami felt the horror prickle his skin.

 _No no no no no._

"It was here. Right here!" he ran forwards, whipping his head this way and that, trying to find any trace, _anything_ that would prove him right.

"My men report that everything is empty," Matsumoto said to Riko. She grit her teeth, cursing under her breath.

"I swear it," Kagami hissed. "I…I saw it! They must have moved on. I even took photos!" He flicked through his photo album hastily, but…they weren't there. The images he had taken not over two hours ago…they weren't there. As though they had been _deleted_. "This…this can't be right…"

"Kagami-kun, calm down," Riko pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's think about this logically. Assuming that…that you were right, that your information was right…then the only way they would have moved so quickly from here was if they were warned beforehand." She looked straight at him. "You didn't listen to me, did you?"

Kagami's hands balled into fists, and his eyes sparked with anger. "They didn't see me. Yes, I disobeyed your orders. Yes, I came here by myself. But they _didn't see me._ Of that, I am _certain_."

Riko stepped up to him, and her voice was low and sharp and scathing. "You drugged your partner. I should charge you for that. Aomine-kun didn't have to tell me directly," she added when his eyes widened. "But he should have. I'm a _detective_ , Kagami-kun. I'm not stupid. But, lately, you have been. This…!" she waved around her. "This, I hope you realise, was one of our only leads. And it's _gone_. Only a few hours after you came here, _against orders_. Are you connecting the dots now?"

Matsumoto was observing silently as his men searched the clearly empty area, but Aomine stepped forwards.

"Chief, take it easy-"

"And you!" she turned on the darker skinned man. "You have been too lenient with him! I should split the two of you up, rather that partner you both. You just seem to be distraction after distraction and I can't…" her voice broke, and she rubbed her face with a hand. "We can't afford to compromise this case. It's important, and my father…he couldn't solve this problem, so now it's fallen onto me. We have to, for ourselves and the sake of everyone. I can't have anyone mess this up, especially someone who's so deep in his emotions that he can't think straight."

Kagami's mouth went dry. "W-what are you saying?"

"I don't want to do this, but you've left me no choice." Riko's eyes shone with hurt, and her words were strained.

Aomine stepped forwards. "Chief-"

Riko squared her shoulder and held out her hand towards Kagami. "Kagami Taiga, you are hereby suspended until further notice from all investigative authorities due to failure of following direct orders and emotional compromise."

* * *

Kagami stared up at his ceiling. It was white. Blank. Much like his thoughts.

He felt numb. He'd felt numb on the drive back in one of the black cars – their broken police vehicle had been towed – and he'd felt numb when he signed the papers, numb when he handed in his badge and service weapon. He'd heard Aomine argue with her, he'd heard Aomine yell at him to defend himself, but Riko hadn't been wrong.

He'd let his emotions get in the way. He'd done things he normally would never have even considered.

His phone buzzed.

 **20:34 Ahomine:** _Come on, talk to me. Or I'll come over._

Kagami closed his eyes and sighed, turning his phone off. He didn't really want to talk. He didn't want to discuss anything right now. What was he going to do now? Leave it to Aomine? Tell Aomine everything about his mother, his motivations?

Or would he continue investigating on his own, and risk landing in more trouble?

His landline starting ringing. It was probably Aomine, or Kuroko. They were probably calling his landline because he'd turned off his phone. Damn persistent bastards. And when did he ever give them that number? He barely even used that phone.

The ringing wouldn't stop, so he picked it up to disconnect when the caller ID made him pause.

He put it against his ear. "Tatsuya?"

"Oh, thank god you picked up. Your phone is off!" Himuro's voice was breathy, as though he had been running. "Well, whatever. Taiga, I need you to come right now. Something…something's going on at Yosen."

"Yosen?" Kagami sat up.

"Yeah, that new club I work at…look, I can't talk for long, but I'm sure you can get in here with your badge. Just…come in through the back or something, it's urgent."

"Uhh…" Kagami trailed off.

"I gotta go, but I'll see you soon. Please, Taiga. Bye."

Kagami didn't even have a proper chance to respond before the line disconnected. This was beyond strange. Himuro had sounded anxious, not exactly panicking but close to it.

"Fuck it," Kagami groaned, lifting his pillow and hooking his unregistered Glock on his waistband under his shirt. He shrugged on his jacket and grabbed his keys, but paused on his way out. He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled on it, before sticking it to the outside of his front door and bolting to his car.

Looked like the option was to start investigating, but maybe he didn't have to do it alone.

* * *

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